Love Trilogy
by Lady S
Summary: The Love Trilogy tells a tale of hardship and trials, testing Christy's love for the ones around her
1. Chapter One A Mother's Love

Title: A Mother's Love  
Author: Lady S  
E-Mail: finger_to_keyboard@yahoo.com  
Summary: A child comes into Neil's life that brings him closer to his treasured dreams and his dreaded nightmares.  
Disclaimer: Catherine Marshall's beautiful story of Christy is owned by the Marshall-LeSourd Family, L.L.C. We are in no way seeking profit or credit for her story. We are continuing the story of Christy for our own amusement only. Any additions in story line and characters were invented by the writers of the alt.tv.christy Round Robin and the Christy Mailing List. The content of each story is the responsibility of the individual writer. The fanfic here is being posted as a service to the Christy mailing list, Pax Christy Forum and Alt.tv.christy News Group.  
  
  
Chapter One  
  
Sitting at the desk in her empty school Christy studied her nails with boredom. It had been the most boring day she could ever remember. The children hadn't been able to come to school due to the harvest, David was out in El Pano visiting his flock, Miss Alice was over in Cataleechie visiting the sick, and Ruby Mae was over with the Coburns with Bessie leaning how to can vegetables.   
  
And here Christy sat, bored silly, aching for something exciting to happen in the day. She'd corrected all the papers, readied the lessons for when school resumed, cleaned the school, cleaned the mission house, packed her bag for her trip home in three days, and finished reading her book. There was nothing left to do!  
  
Sighing she stood up from the desk and headed toward the doors. Maybe she'd go for a walk. Reaching for her shawl from the peg next to the door she shut the doors behind her and headed in the first direction that pulled to her. Walking absently she followed where the path led her until she came to a cliffs edge. Looking around Christy was surprised to find a small waterfall that was hidden in the valley of the cliff edge. Carefully picking her way down she climbed up onto a small boulder that sat next to the edge of the water and looked around. She'd never even dreamed such a beautiful place could exist. Wishing she had brought her sketchpad with her Christy memorized the beauty of the small valley so she could sketch it later.  
  
So engrossed in the beauty that surrounded her Christy never heard anyone approaching her until he sat down next to her, his broad shoulder brushing up against hers. Startled she looked up into the smiling eyes of the cove's only doctor.  
  
"Hello," she smiled back.  
  
"Good morning, Lass. What brings you out to Lover's Falls?"  
  
"Lover's Falls?"  
  
He nodded. "This little fall is so hidden that many young couples come here to be alone, hence it's name."  
  
"Well whatever it's called, it's beautiful here. I'd never seen this place before."  
  
"How did you find it?"  
  
"I don't know, I was just out walking and I happened upon it. What brings you here?"  
  
Neil shrugged. "I needed some time to think about things."  
  
"Is something wrong?"  
  
"Wrong?" Neil furrowed his brow for a moment. "No, not wrong."  
  
Curious Christy turned to look at him. "You just needed to think?" He nodded. "Then I'll leave you to think."  
  
Smiling Neil put a gentle hand on her shoulder to keep her where she was. "You don't need to leave, Christy," he smiled. "I'd rather you stay."  
  
Before she could stop it a small blush colored her cheeks and she turned her eyes back to the water fall, wondering at the warmth that seemed to fill her at his words. Sitting in silence for some time Christy's eyes caught sight of a small family of bears that came through the brush on the other side of the water, going up to its edge for a drink from the refreshing water.  
  
With a small gasp she reached down for Neil's hand resting between them. "Neil!" she whispered. "Look!"  
  
"I see them," he whispered back. "Just stay still and they won't bother us if we don't bother them."  
  
Grasping Neil's hand tightly Christy watched as the two cubs played in the water, their mother watching on with a mothers amusement. Reaching across she held his arm in hers, watching the scene before her in awe. Sitting on the boulder, her arms linked with Neil's Christy's eyes were wide with wonder, a gentle smile pulling at her lips, her heart soaring with the happiness that filled it.  
  
Next to her, also watching the bear cubs playing in the water, Neil's mind wasn't on the scene before him. His skin tingled at the feel of Christy holding his hand; his senses reeled at the smell of her soft silky hair, the touch of her baby soft skin, the glittering smile that lit up her crystal blue eyes. He'd come here to think, but now he could barely remember anything except the sheer pleasure of sitting here alone with Christy, cut off from the rest of the world, surrounded by the beauty of his homeland.  
  
They sat there until the trio of bears had left. "Oh my word!" Christy exclaimed. "Wasn't that amazing?"  
  
Neil smiled at her excitement. "I usually don't think of bears in a good way but I have to admit it was very unique to be able to watch one like that."  
  
Smiling Christy sighed and stood up from the boulder. "I am so glad I came here. Today was turning out to be such a boring day but this made it all worth it."  
  
"Boring?"  
  
"M-hmm," she nodded, absently bending to pick up a small toad on the ground near her feet. "I'd done everything there was to do at the mission. With all the children out working with their parents I've had too much time on my hands."  
  
Neil watched as she stroked the small toad in her hands, the reptile falling under her spell almost immediately. She sat back down next to him and grinned.   
  
"I used to be so afraid of frogs and toads. But Creed got it in his head to break me of that fear and every week he'd bring me a frog to hold; one of his prized collection pieces. If I didn't hold it he would get this hurt look on his face and I couldn't bear it. So thanks to Creed I was cured."  
  
She gave a small laugh as she put the toad back down on the ground. When she straightened back up though he could see that her features had become serious, her eyes reflective of the memories in her mind.  
  
"As much as I want to go home to see my family a part of me wishes I didn't have to leave. Asheville is my home but Cutter Gap..." she shook her head softly. "Cutter Gap is my life. I can't imagine ever living somewhere other than the cove. When I think back to all the times I was so upset I wanted to leave I can only thank God that I didn't."  
  
"I know you don't believe in God Neil," she said touching his hand briefly. "But I tell you, it was only by his power that I was able to make it through those first few months. I was so scared and I felt so alone that I probably cried myself to sleep every night."  
  
"What happened to change your mind?"  
  
"The children, Miss Alice, Fairlight... even you. I came to see the cove as God had wanted me to see it. As the place that I belong." Christy smiled. "My grandmother had a friend who went to visit the mountains one summer and when she came back she would talk about nothing but her beloved mountains. Grandma Huddleston used to say that the "mountain bug" had bitten her."  
  
"Neil..." she said, meeting his eyes. "I have been bitten."  
  
He couldn't help the laugh that burst forth at the sight of her serious face, though her eyes twinkled with laughter. Laughing along with him Christy looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was beginning to set.  
  
"I guess time really does fly past you when you're having a good time," she sighed. "I should be getting back to the mission. I need to get dinner started before RubyMae gets a chance to."  
  
"No possum surprise tonight?"  
  
Groaning Christy stood. "Not if I can help it."  
  
Grinning Neil stood with her. "You'll never make it back before dark, I'll take you back on Charlie."  
  
Waiting for him to mount Christy reached up to take his hand and she was pulled up to sit behind Neil. Holding on to his sides she closed her eyes against the feel of the wind on her face as Charlie moved down the trail. When they reached the edge of a large meadow Christ leaned forward against Neil.   
  
"Go faster," she smiled.  
  
Grinning himself Neil urged Charlie into a gallop. Holding on tighter, Christy laughed as Charlie raced through the meadow, the wind whipping her hair as they raced. In no time at all they came to the mission and Neil slowed. Glancing over his shoulder Christy saw a man standing on the porch, a small, solemn child at his feet. As they approached the mission, stopping at the rail, the man stood. Letting Christy down first Neil swung down himself and climbed the stairs to greet the man.  
  
"I be lookin' fer a man called Doc."  
  
"I'm the doctor in these parts," Neil advised him.  
  
Nodding the man motioned toward the little boy sitting at his feet. "Then this young'un belongs to you."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Two  
  
"What?"  
  
Christy glanced up at Neil before dropping her gaze to the little boy. She'd never seen such a solemn little boy in all her life. His big brown eyes seemed almost too large for his face while his blondish hair framed it in a halo of golden curls. He couldn't be any older than two years of age and his grubby little hands rested in his lap in an uncharacteristic stillness.  
  
"What are you talking about man? How can this child be mine?"  
  
"Yer Doc Neil MacNeill. Yer th'only kin this young'uns got since his parents dun got killed in th'fire."  
  
"Who were his parents?"  
  
"They was yer cousins I reckon, Thomas and Shannon O'Conlan."  
  
"When did they die?" Neil asked, surprised that he hadn't heard anything about it.  
  
"Somewhar's bout two weeks ago. Shannon din die right off, she lived long 'nough ta ask my wife ta take her young'un ta her cousin in Cutter Gap. I couldn' let my woman make's the trip so I dun brought the child m'self. But I best be getting' back now."  
  
With a nod of his balding head the man was gone, leaving the child behind and Neil staring after him. Unable to stay where she was for a moment longer Christy knelt before the youngster and held her arms out to him. With a small blink he climbed into her arms and laid his head on her shoulder. Christy heart tugged at his trusting silence and she prayed she could find a way to make this sad little boy smile once more.  
  
Turning his eyes from the man who was leaving to the little boy in Christy's arms Neil didn't know what to do. He wasn't a father, he may know how to keep a child from being sick but raising one?   
  
Christy could see the questions and uncertainty in Neil's eyes as they grew larger in his face. Smiling softly she put a hand on his arm and motioned for him to come inside. "Come on," she smiled. "It won't be that bad."  
  
Leading the way into the dining room she pulled out a chair for Neil to sit down on and tried to put the young boy on the table only to find his grip on her neck was stronger than she had thought. Pulling a little harder Christy succeeded in getting him to sit on the table but the moment his little bottom touched the wood his face twisted up and tears began to form in his big brown eyes.  
  
"Oh no," she crooned. "Honey don't cry!"  
  
Gathering him into her arms once more she rocked him back and forth until his tears abated, whispering softly and kissing his hair with a motherly touch. Watching her calm the little boy Neil began to calm down himself. It couldn't be that difficult, people raised children everyday.  
  
"Neil," Christy said quietly, breaking into his thoughts. "Would you please go warm up a small bit of milk? He doesn't look like he's eaten in some time."  
  
"Of course."  
  
Heading into the kitchen Neil put some milk into a pot and over the fire to warm for the little boy. Coming to his senses as he worked Neil went out to Charlie to gather his medical bags, heading back into the dining room to find Christy gone. Frowning he passed through the empty room to the main room and saw her standing before the fire, swaying back and forth as she rocked the little boy in her arms.  
  
"Here," offering her the cup of warmed milk.  
  
Smiling she took it from him and put the cup to the little boys mouth, the child drinking hungrily, confirming Christy belief that he hadn't eaten. When the last drop was gone he closed his eyes and, snuggling into her arms once more, falling fast asleep. Setting the cup on the table she was turning to head upstairs and put him into one of the beds when Neil stopped her.  
  
"I need to examine him, Lass. Sit down in the chair, I'll do it with him in your arms so we don't wake him up."  
  
Nodding Christy sat in a chair while Neil knelt before her to examine the boy in her arms. She watched as he examined every inch of the child, from head to toe, until he was satisfied. His large hands were gentle as Neil examined the boy and Christy noticed that he was more than thorough in everything he did.  
  
Lifting her eyes from the boy to Neil Christy began to realize that this was the only relative of Neil's that she knew about. Her mind searched for references of another living relative but she couldn't think of one. This little boy was it.  
  
"He seems fine. Tired and a little malnourished but other than that he's well enough. Let's put him to bed so he can sleep undisturbed."  
  
Up the stairs to her own room Christy put the little boy in her bed and covered him with the blankets, tucking them in to keep him warm. Slipping put of the room she left the door slightly ajar and tiptoed back down the stairs to the main room. Her stomach rumbled slightly and Christy realized she hadn't made dinner yet. Heading into the kitchen she pulled some of the soup from last night s dinner out of the ice chest and put it in a pot to heat through.  
  
"I don't know what to do," Neil admitted as he joined her in the kitchen, leaning against the doorjamb as he watched her work. "I don't know how to raise a child."  
  
"No one does when they begin, Neil. It's a learning process for any first time parent. You just go with your instinct and take the advice from the parents around you."  
  
"And how did you become so wise in the matter of child rearing, Miss Huddleston?" he teased lightly, glad that she was there to help him come to terms with what was happening.  
  
Christy smiled at him as she uncovered a small loaf of bread. "I am a teacher, Doctor. I deal with children everyday."  
  
"Yes but teaching them and raising them..."  
  
"Is two very different things, I know. But they both begin with the same very basic principle." Christy handed him a plate and motioned for him to put it on the table. "Love."  
  
"Love," he repeated.  
  
"Yes, love. I know they are not my blood," she said. "But I still call them 'my children' because in my heart they are, each and every one of them. It takes love to be a teacher and it's that same kind of love that makes you such a good doctor. I've seen you deal with the children in the same way a parent would. Hugging them when they're sad or hurt, helping them when they need it, just being there takes love, Neil. It's a part of who you are."  
  
Turning to stir the heating soup Christy missed the look on Neil's face, the sudden softness in his eyes as he heard the words she had told him, the praise and conviction he had heard in her voice tugging at his heart. When Christy turned back to face him he had managed to school his features back to normal. Handing him a bowl of steaming soup she took her own and led the way out to the table. Waiting out of respect to her Neil didn't pick up her spoon until she had said her prayer of thanks.  
  
"What are you going to do?" she asked quietly as she dipped a piece of bread into the broth.  
  
Neil sighed. "I don't know yet. He is kin so I know I could never turn him over to another family, but raising a child on my own..." she shook his head. "What am I going to do when I get called away to Low Gap or Cataleechie, El Pano or some of the regions even farther away?"  
  
"You could always bring him here," she offered, her head bent over her bowl. For a reason even she didn't understand Christy felt an attachment to the little boy who was sleeping in her bed. He had captured her hear the moment she had seen those big brown eyes.  
  
Watching her avoid his eyes Neil felt a smile on his face for the first time since they had returned to the mission house. "You would volunteer the services of the mission house like that?"  
  
"No," she replied, lifting her head to meet his gaze solemnly. "I would volunteer my services like that."  
  
"Why?" He was intrigued.  
  
"I'm not sure," she shrugged, dropping her gaze again as she toyed with her spoon. "Maybe it was the way he lost his family or the fact that he is so young, I just don't know. All I can tell you for sure is that I took one look at those big brown eyes and..." She shrugged again. "I was lost."  
  
"I don't know, you've already got so much to do with the mission and the children..."  
  
"Neil, I wouldn't make the offer if I didn't want to do it."  
  
"If you're sure."  
  
"I'm sure."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She was sound asleep when the scream broke the air, shrill and panicked. Throwing the blanket off her she jumped off the couch and raced up the stairs to her room, getting there just tin time to see Neil pick the screaming boy up from the bed. Knowing they needed to get used to one another Christy backed out of the room and stood in the hallways listening to Neil's deep baritone as he spoke to the frightened child. Some time later he emerged from the room and saw Christy leaning against the wall. Hearing him come out she turned to look at him and saw the look of awe on his face.  
  
"Neil?"  
  
"He was so scared," he whispered. "He must have been having a nightmare or something."  
  
"Are you okay?" she said, smiling softly at the look that still covered his face.  
  
He smiled back at her light teasing. "I think I'll live." His face lost some of its brightness as he thought back to what had happened. "I had no idea what I was doing," he admitted. "I just thought... I don't know what I thought."  
  
"You didn't think," she said. "You acted out of instinct, Neil. It is in there, you just have to give it a chance to come out."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Three  
  
Slowly waking to the smell of crisping bacon and perking coffee Christy smiled and stretched out the knots in her legs from sleeping curled up on the sofa. Feeling a weight on her legs she wondered if one of the barn cats had gotten inside again. Opening her eyes she looked down to her feet and was surprised to see a brown eyed little boy sitting in the crook of her bent legs.   
  
Smiling she reached out her hands and he willingly came to her, stretching out on his stomach when Christy rolled onto her back. His head resting on her chest, little thumb stuck in his mouth he lay still, his eyes watching the fire dancing in the fireplace. Laying just as still as he was Christy softly rubbed her hand up and down his back, staring down at his soft face lit by the light of the fire, the blond curls practically glowing.  
  
"How long has he been there?"  
  
Looking up Christy saw Neil kneeling next to the couch. "Ever since I woke up," she smiled.  
  
Grinning Neil looked down at the boy. "Are you hungry?" The boy nodded. "Would you like to come eat?"  
  
Nodding again he lifted his arms so Neil could pick him up. Taking the small child from Christy's lap he moved off into the dining room while Christy escaped up the stairs to dress. Tucking her shirt into her skirt a thought popped into her head.   
  
"Neil," she said as she entered the dining room. "I just realized we don't know his name."  
  
Glancing up Neil suddenly realized that she was right. "I have no idea what we should call him, there really isn't a family name and I don't even know where he came from to see if someone else knows his name."  
  
"So what are you going to name him?"  
  
Sitting back in his chair Neil sighed. "I just don't know."  
  
Watching the young boy chew on a piece of bacon Christy thought over the names she might have chosen had he been her child. Trying to find one that seemed to suit the young boy she remembered one from her childhood that seemed to fit the tyke perfectly.  
  
"May I suggest one?"  
  
Raising his eyebrows Neil leaned forward onto the table. "What is it?"  
  
"It was the name of one of my friends when I was a little girl. We used to make a fire at night and watch the flames for hours on end until one of our fathers came to find us and take us home. His mother had named him Theodore but everyone always called him Teddy."  
  
"Teddy," Neil repeated, trying the name out. Looking at the little boy, his big brown eyes and golden curls he felt a small smile dawning on his face. It was perfect. "Teddy it is."  
  
Looking between Neil and Christy, his big brown eyes gleaming with laughter the boy suddenly grinned, his lips lined with bacon grease. "Te'y!" he cried, laughing out loud at the shock on both of their faces.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Brushing her hair in the early morning light Christy stared out the window at the sunrise, her mind sadly focused on what was missing this morning. Teddy. He'd spent the night with Neil at his new home the night before and Christy already missed the feeling of waking up to him sitting on her legs. Though they had spent two nights at the mission house Neil knew they would need to get Teddy used to sleeping at the cabin.   
  
All day yesterday they had let him explore the cabin and woods surrounding it until he was meandering on his own, Neil and Christy following behind him until he had tired himself out. While Teddy had been sleeping in Neil's bed upstairs Neil had been called away to the Allen Cabin, Creed was in need of stitches on his arm from a bad fall. When he had returned Christy had managed to find the makings for a meal within his cupboards while Teddy had played on the floor at her feet.  
  
After serving the both of them their meal Christy had flown out the door to make it home to the mission and make dinner for everyone who had returned. Ruby Mae was still at the Coburns but both Miss Alice and David had returned earlier that day. It had been a busy day and Christy had slept soundly that night, waking with a small drop of sadness in her heart that it would be three weeks until she saw Teddy again.  
  
With a shake of her head she refused to dwell on those thoughts anymore. Braiding her hair she pinned it around her head and dressed for the travel ahead of her. Thankfully she had a light bag to carry, most of her clothes she had left behind in Asheville, so the walk to El Pano would be easy. Gathering her things she went downstairs for some breakfast and to say goodbye to Miss Alice and David.  
  
"Would you like me to drive you to the train station Christy?" David asked, anxious for some time alone with Christy before she left.  
  
"Thank you David but I'm going to walk. I want to stop and say goodbye to Teddy before I go."  
  
Christy had told them both about Teddy over their dinner the night before. Miss Alice had agreed with taking Teddy while Neil was called away to the other areas for doctoring calls. She was anxious to meet the little one and had declared she would go to the cabin later today in order to do so.  
  
With her breakfast finished Christy gathered her cape and bag and headed out the door after saying her good-byes. She saw the glum look in David's eyes but her heart was set on seeing Teddy one last time. Hurrying down the path Christy veered off the path for a moment to check and see if they were at the river before heading up to the cabin. Not seeing anyone on the riverbank she headed up to the cabin and knocked on the door.  
  
It swung open under her knuckles and the sight that greeted her brought her hand to her mouth to smother the laughter rising into her throat. There, at the kitchen table, sat Neil and Teddy. One of them was covered with gooey oatmeal.  
  
"Oh my word, you need a bath!" she grinned.  
  
"Very funny," Neil griped, wiping oatmeal off his cheek. "The little bugger refuses to eat this! He'd rather fling it at me it seems."  
  
Struggling not to laugh Christy fingered up a small bit of the goo for herself, nearly gagging when she tasted it. "I don't blame him! Neil this is disgusting."  
  
"It's not that bad, my Pa used to make oatmeal this same way every morning."  
  
"And did you eat it?"  
  
Neil paused, thinking back to those mornings so long ago. "No," he grinned. "It tasted like old socks."  
  
Laughing Christy went over to the pot on the stove and stirred in a bit of sugar and some dried apples from the cupboard. Tossing Neil a wet rag she took his seat and began to feed Teddy the new bowl of oatmeal. The flavored goo was gone by the time Neil had finished cleaning the oatmeal off his face and changed his shirt.  
  
Satisfied, his stomach full, Teddy climbed down from the chair and toddled over to the small array of wooden toys that were clumped in the middle of the room. Turning her attention from him to Neil she couldn't help but grin at the sight that awaited her. Standing she took the wet rag from the bucket where Neil had dumped it and, wringing the excess water out, dabbed at the bit of oatmeal still sitting at the edge of his eyebrow.  
  
"There," she grinned. "Now it's all gone."  
  
Giving her a mock glare Neil couldn't hide the twitch in the corner of his mouth and soon they were both laughing at the humor of the situation. Recovering Christy looked at the clock over Neil's mantle and realized that she needed to get going. Going over to Teddy she picked the little boy up and held him in her lap for a moment to say goodbye. Though she thought she had been able to do it, sitting there with him, seeing those big brown eyes staring up at her Christy felt her resolve weakening.  
  
"He'll still be here when you get back, you know," Neil teased gently.  
  
Watching Christy blinking away tears as she tried to say goodbye to Teddy, even if only for three weeks, tugged at a spot in his heart he hadn't felt in a long, long time. That scene, she holding him so tenderly, was burned into his mind along side the sight of the little boy stretched out on the couch with her.   
  
For a long time Neil had buried the way he felt for Christy deep in his heart, knowing that as long as Margaret was out there somewhere there was nothing he could do. But at moments like these, times when it was all he could do to keep from holding her tightly to him, Neil wished his heart were dead so as to banish the bittersweet pain that filled his heart with the knowledge that she might very well marry the preacher.  
  
"You'd better be going, Lass," he said, stopping next to the chair. "You don't want to miss your train."  
  
Nodding, Christy stood and gave Teddy to Neil, her eyes misty. Scolding her self for being so foolish she hurried to grab her bags and headed for the door, stopping briefly to glance back and wave goodbye.  
  
Never before had Christy wished so much that she wasn't going to Asheville, even for a visit.  
  
As the train pulled into the Asheville station Christy's sketchpad was filled with sketches of one little boy and the man that was his only family. Putting her pencils away Christy gathered her bag and departed from the train only to find her father waiting for her on the station.  
  
"Daddy!" she cried, overjoyed to see him and yet even still, worried for his health. "What are you doing here? I thought I was going to meet you at the house."  
  
"And miss some alone time with my Girlie?" he smiled back, his voice only barely halting. "Never!"  
  
Settling into the carriage Christy took her fathers arm in hers and held him tightly. "I've missed you Daddy."  
  
"Tell me everything that's been happening Girlie," he said, kissing her temple. "I want to hear it all."  
  
Christy told him about the harvest and the news of the cove but most of her tale was of a little boy named Teddy.  
  
"You've taken a real liking to this little one, haven't you?"  
  
"I admit it Daddy. I couldn't help it. I saw those big brown eyes and I just fell in love with him."  
  
The carriage stopped in front of the house and Christy was caught up in her return home. It wasn't until almost a week into her trip home that she was able to slip up to the attic and go through the trunk from her childhood. The treasures she had nearly forgotten about as she had grown older. Pulling out some dolls she remembered painstakingly dressing each one for afternoon tea and being just a little jealous because they were all prettier than she was.  
  
Christy pulled out some books that she set aside to take back with her for the children and as she neared the bottom of the trunk Christy pulled out a small, soft, slightly faded blanket. Pressing it to her nose she smelled the scent of rose scented talcum powder and cigar smoke, her heart tugging at the memory it had induced. Memories of the nights she would spend sitting in her fathers lap holding her blanket tightly in her arms as he had read her a bedtime story.  
  
Folding the small blanket neatly Christy knew just what she was going to do with it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Walking the length of the mission porch Neil was quickly losing his last shred of patience. For hours on end the child had been screaming, yowling, crying, with no end in sight. He had a sinking feeling that the river had less water in it than the amount of tears the boy had shed in that one day alone. No matter what he tried to make Teddy calm down the boy simply refused to stop crying.   
  
Many of the women had tried to off her him help but the moment they stepped with two feet, arms poised to take the youngster, his screams became even more shrill and desperate.  
  
'My thought is the' young'un's teethin',' he'd heard one woman say. 'Best rub some mint on 'is gums ta holp take th'pain aways.'  
  
'He jest be tired,' said another. 'Leave 'im be an' he'll cry 'imself ta sleep.'  
  
'Why I'll betcha he jest be hunrifyin'!' another declared. 'You best git some vittles in his belly for it swells from the hunger.'  
  
But nothing worked. For hours on end he had paced the mission porch, listening to the woman of the cove cluck and fuss while the men kept their distance from the screaming child. Only one of the men had dared come close and his only words of comfort to Neil were...  
  
'That be why the woman's the one a'rearin' them young'uns.'  
  
Trying desperately to remember Christy's notion of love Neil fought to keep his frustrations from boiling over but as they reached the fourth hour of non stop screaming and crying he had almost reached his breaking point. Just when he thought all was lost Teddy seemed to settle down briefly, his scream dying out, his tears drying for the moment.   
  
But as Neil turned a corner of the mission house it started up again with a vengeance, this time the young boy began twisting and turning, struggling to get away from Neil with a desperation that would have seemed funny at any other time. Tightening his hold Neil resumed his pacing, fighting the urge to let loose a scream himself.  
  
Shifting Teddy in his arms he draped the child up to his shoulder and immediately he felt him reaching his arms out over his shoulders, knees digging into his chest to climb out of the grasp Neil held him in. As Teddy took a breath between screams Neil heard the sweetest sound in the world.  
  
"Oh, Honey, don't cry."  
  
A gentle hand stopped Neil's pacing and Teddy was lifted from his arms. Turning he looked down to see Teddy lock his arms around Christy's neck, crying his woe's in her ear as she hugged him tightly and rubbed his back. Glancing up at Neil she offered him a brief smile before turning her full attention to Teddy, soothing the child she cradled in her arms.  
  
Swaying back and forth, her skirt swishing against the wood planks of the porch she softly crooned to Teddy, whispering for him to tell her what was wrong, that everything would be okay. Some moments later the child had calmed down, his screams long gone, tears beginning to dry, eyes drooping shut as he finally began to fall asleep.  
  
"He's exhausted," Christy whispered softly as she moved closer to Neil. "I'm going to take upstairs and away from the noise so he can sleep. Would you get my bag please?"  
  
Glancing down Neil saw a carpetbag at the top of the stairs and grabbed it for her, following Christy into the mission house, never noticing the knowing look that passed between Fairlight and Opal.  
  
Christy finished tucking the covers in around the sleeping boy and straightened, holding out a hand for the bag that Neil carried. Setting it on the table for her he stood close as she unpacked to speak so as not to the wake the sleeping Teddy.  
  
"How did you do that?" he whispered.  
  
"Do what? Neil he was exhausted, he would have fallen asleep eventually."  
  
"No," he whispered firmly, shaking his head. "Christy he'd been screaming for the last few hours with no sign of ever letting up. You take him and he is sound asleep in the blink of an eye!"  
  
Rolling her eyes at his exaggerations Christy smiled, whispering, "Neil you need to understand that it was nothing personal against you. Sometimes a child just doesn't want to be held by his 'father'."  
  
Suddenly realizing the unspoken implications of her choice of words Christy turned her full attention to her unpacking but Neil could see the blush that was staining her cheeks and neck a rosy pink. Grinning to himself he let it go, understanding what she didn't say though she hadn't intended it that way. Watching her take several books out of her bag he scanned the titles and realized they were for some of the younger children but it was the blanket that she pulled out next that raised his curiosity.  
  
"What's this?" he asked, his voice still hushed.  
  
Her blush deepened but Christy smiled. "This was mine when I was just a little older than Teddy. I used to sleep with it every night." Pressing it to her nose again she inhaled deeply and closed her eyes. "I can still smell the rose powder mother would put on me after I'd had my bath and the smell of my fathers cigars that he would smoke as he read me a bedtime story."  
  
Gently unfolding it she ran her hands over the faded pattern and smiled an even softer smile. "I thought Teddy might like."  
  
Turning she draped it over the young boy, his hands coming up to involuntarily clutch the one corner, his other hand at his mouth, thumb between his lips as he sucked his thumb. Turning away before she accidentally woke him up Christy resumed unpacking her bag until the bag was emptied and stored in her closet once more. Leaving the door slightly ajar they both left the room so Teddy could sleep in peace.  
  
"How was Asheville?"  
  
"It was nice to see my family again but I was glad when it was over. City life just isn't for me anymore."  
  
"And how is William faring?"  
  
"Very well," she replied. Neil could see her light up again at the thought of her father. "He met me at the station so we could ride back tot he house together. He looks better every time I see him."  
  
"And Julia?"  
  
Christy smiled. "As motherly as ever. She still tries to entice me to stay but I think she may finally be coming around to the fact that my home is here." Anticipating his next question Christy kept talking. "And George is doing well also. His studies are going very well, he's the top of his class. Father claims he'll make a top-notch lawyer one day but I think my brother may actually go into the news business. He is the editor of the school newspaper and seems to like it very much."  
  
"Who likes what very much?"  
  
Looking toward the doorway Christy saw David entering with Alice. Smiling she greeted each of them, offering Alice a small peck on the cheek and a hug as well. Explaining what they had been talking about Christy told them her family was well.  
  
"Thy timing could not have been better," Alice told her as they sat down on the porch chairs for a moment. "I believe Neil may have been ready to shed a tear or two himself had you not been able to calm Teddy when you did."  
  
Smiling Christy bit back her laugh. "Then I'm glad I did take the earlier train from Asheville, I wouldn't have wanted our good doctor to be reduced to tears by a child."  
  
Alice pursed her lips to keep from laughing at the idea. "I am glad thee is back, Miss Huddleston, thee has been sorely missed."  
  
"I'm glad too," Christy admitted. "I missed my home."  
  
Pulled out of her chair by Creed and Burl Christy was lost in the crowd, milling with her friends for some time as the cove celebrated the harvest. The winter hadn't really begun yet, the season unusually mild, and the cove was enjoying the late warmth.   
  
As she was standing near the food table with Fairlight and Opal Christy glanced up to see Neil descending the stairs with Teddy in his arms, the little boy already having woken up from his nap. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Teddy scramble to get away from Neil the moment he had seen Christy. He stalked over to them and greeted each of the women as he handed the little boy the woman he was reaching for.  
  
"It would seem he wants you again," Neil griped playfully.  
  
Christy smiled, laughing as Teddy locked his arms around her neck. "Well I've missed him too."  
  
Handing her the blanket he ruffled Teddy's hair and went across the clearing to talk to one of his patients he needed to look in on. Still smiling Christy wrapped the blanket over Teddy's back and shifted her hold so that he would be wrapped securely in the blanket. From the corner of her eyes she caught a knowing look pass between her two friends and she turned to face them.  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"We jest think it's sweet that the youg'un has such a love fer ya is all."  
  
"If you been gone since the boy showed up how you got such an 'tachment with 'im?" Opal asked her.  
  
"I was at the mission when Teddy first came. He spent his first two nights here and we got close. I couldn't help but love these big brown eyes of his."  
  
Satisfied with Christy's answer Opal moved away to speak with Swannie about that recipe for her plum pie but Fairlight stayed with Christy, her eyes fastened on her dear friend.  
  
"That boy's taken to ya like a ma," she said softly.  
  
Turning to face her Christy was silent. They joy of having Teddy in her arms began to deflate a little. "I don't mean to be his mother," she said, her voice soft. "I can't help the way I feel for him, Fairlight. It's different from when I had little Iris. Teddy is... he's different."  
  
Fairlight smiled. "I know," she said, putting a gentle hand on Christy's arm. "Jest be careful. You got a mothers love, but Teddy... he ain't your blood."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Five  
  
They were both sound asleep when there was a pounding noise on the door below. Stumbling out of the bed Neil hurried down the stairs and opened the door to see a man standing there, hat in his hands, a worried look on his face.  
  
"Lyle?"  
  
"Ya got's ta come, Doc," the man said, his voice strained with worry. "The misses be real bad off. The fever's burnin' her up somethin' fierce."  
  
Nodding Neil told him to go on back home and he would come as soon as he could. Shutting the door he hurried to the lab to gather his supplies before taking the stairs two at a time back up to the bedroom, tearing off his nightshirt as he went. Pulling a shirt from one of the drawers he reached for the pants crumpled up in the corner and hurriedly tugged them both on. Opening one of the other drawers he pulled out a tiny pair of pants and shirt and flung them over his shoulder, turning to pick Teddy up out of the bed.  
  
"Come one now, Laddie," he called out in a sing song voice. "We're going for a small ride."  
  
Back down the stairs Neil grabbed his saddlebags and, juggling all three items in his hands, he shut the door behind him. Once Charlie was saddled Neil took Teddy in his arms again and mounted the horse, spurring him into motion with a quick nudge of his heels. Through the trees and trails they hurried, Neil knew he was racing against time. Finally they broke through the clearing and he pulled Charlie to a stop at the base of the stairs.   
  
Hitching his old friend quickly to the post Neil raced up the stairs and inside, surprised to see Alice sitting in the main room. Setting Teddy down he explained the situation to Alice.  
  
"Kitty McDonnough from Low Gap has a bad fever, I'm on my way over there now but I need to leave Teddy here, can you watch him?"  
  
"Of course," Alice quickly agreed. "Thee knows the child is always welcome here."  
  
"Thank you Alice," Neil said. Looking down to say goodbye to Teddy Neil was shocked to see that he was gone. "Teddy?" he called, searching the room for him. "Teddy!"  
  
Splitting up Alice went to the kitchen to look while Neil, following a hunch, headed upstairs. Cautiously opening one of the doors he peered inside and his heart jumped up into his throat. He watched as Teddy climbed up into the bed, lifting the covers to get under them, and snuggled down to go back to sleep. Though still half asleep herself Christy shifted to make room for the little one and wrapped one of her arms around the tyke, a small smile drifting onto her face.   
  
Smiling softly for a moment Neil knew he needed to go but the sight held him in place as though he was rooted to the floor. Watching for a few more seconds Neil gently shut the door and hurried back down the stairs, letting Alice know that Teddy was safe in the process. Mounting Charlie one more time Neil raced away into the inky black of the night darkness, already counting the minutes until he could return home.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Dismissing the class for the day Christy hurried through her chores in the schoolhouse as fast as she could, wanting to get back to the mission to get Teddy. She had promised him they would go for a walk today and she had no intention of letting the little guy down. Chalkboard cleaned, papers straightened and floor swept she shut the doors behind her and headed over to the mission house.  
  
As the two adventurers set out on their romp Christy's mind drifted back over the last few days, the time she had spent with Teddy while Neil was in Low Gap. She remembered waking up that first morning and realizing that Teddy was in the bed with her, not even remembering how or when he had gotten there.   
  
That first day they'd had the entire day to themselves. They had gone over to Lover's Falls and picnicked by the falls. The next day though school had begun again and Teddy was forced to stay at the mission house while Christy went to teach. The little boy had been miserable no matter what Alice had tried to entertain him with. When Christy had come home for the noon meal he had clung to her, refusing to let go when it was time to return to school until she had promised to spend the night with him out in the barn playing with the animals that fascinated Teddy.  
  
Today had been the same thing but she had promised they would go for a walk and he had let her go away again, a tear resting on his lashes, stabbing Christy's heart with guilt. Shaking her head to clear it of the painful past she smiled when she realized where Teddy was heading, letting him lead the way in their little adventure.   
  
"You really like this place don't you?" she smiled when they came to the edge of the cliff.   
  
Picking him up Christy and Teddy climbed down the steep trail and came to a rest at the boulders that sat near the water edge. Letting Teddy play on the ground Christy pulled her sketchpad out of her bag and sketched the scene before her, a smile on her face as she watched Teddy playing with the grass and dirt all around him, fascinated by the crickets and frogs that seemed drawn to the little boy. She had almost finished the first sketch when she heard the whinny of a horse and looked up to see Charlie grazing at the top of the ridge and Neil heading down the path.  
  
"Welcome back," she smiled, taking in the bloodshot eyes and tiredness that filled his haggard face. "You should go home and get some sleep."  
  
Neil grinned a tired grin. "I was going to but I saw you heading this way and figured I'd come and see how Teddy was faring," he said, the excuse sounding weak in his own ears. He wasn't really here to see Teddy, at least not only.  
  
"Well fear not," Christy smiled. "We've been keeping each other busy."  
  
Catching sight of the sketch in her hands he reached over to pick it up and examine the picture. "Your work keeps getting better and better, Lass," he praised.  
  
A small blush colored Christy's cheek but her smile brightened a little. "Practice makes perfect."  
  
Neil smiled as he handed it back to her but she could see how tired he really was, the slump in his shoulders, the exhaustion in his eyes and his voice.   
  
"Was it so bad in Low Gap?"  
  
"Aye," he sighed. "They were stricken with a bad fever from some bad meat they had all eaten. We almost lost one of the children but they pulled around and will be okay."  
  
"And you?" Neil looked down at Christy, confused. "Will you be okay?"  
  
"Of course I will," he said, confused as to why she would ask that. "Why?"  
  
"Because you can barely sit up straight," Christy said. Her tone was light but she was worried. Neil was swaying as he sat on the boulder next to her and he seemed oblivious to Teddy at his knee trying to get his attention. "You need to sleep and more than likely eat as well. Let's get you home so you can do both."  
  
Too tired to argue with her Neil nodded and stood, gathering Teddy in his arms while Christy gather her bags and led the way back up the trail. It wasn't until he was sitting at the table, a bowl of stew in front of him that he began to perk up again and realize what was happening. Looking around he saw signs of life in his cabin. There were toys on the floor in the main room; a small bouquet of wild flowers Christy had picked on their way to the cabin; the air was filled with the rich aroma of a home made stew; and there, across the table from him, sat a beautiful woman and a little boy who was as close to him as his own child.   
  
"Neil?"  
  
Jerked out of his reverie Neil looked up at Christy to see a concerned look on her face. "Yes?"  
  
"Are you all right?"  
  
"I'm fine."  
  
"Is there something wrong with your food?"  
  
"No, why?"  
  
"Because you're not eating it."  
  
Looking down Neil saw that he still held a spoonful of stew in his hand. Quickly he put it in his mouth, trying not to grimace at the fact that it had cooled down while he'd been staring. "It's good," he said thickly, trying to talk around the chunk of meat in his mouth.  
  
Frowning Christy shook her head and went back to feeding Teddy his dinner leaving Neil to his own meal. The stew reminding him of how hungry he was Neil spooned up another bite, this one much warmer than the first, and much more delicious. Chewing he looked up again to see Christy watching him, question in her eyes. Meeting his eyes for a second she looked back toward Teddy, readying his next bite.  
  
'Is she worrying about me?' he wondered to himself.   
  
The silence remained until Teddy had finished his food and began clamoring to get down. Wiping the food from his mouth with a rag Christy let him go and watched for a moment as he toddled over to the toys he had been playing with earlier. Smiling at the sight she stood and began to clean up, ignoring the rumbling in her own stomach until she could get back to the mission house and eat with Miss Alice.  
  
"Aren't you going to eat?"  
  
Startled by the suddenness of Neil's voice Christy almost dropped the dish she was drying, catching it just before it hit the stove. "What?" she asked, flustered by her clumsiness.  
  
Neil watched her for a moment, confused by her reaction. "I asked if you were going to eat. You fed Teddy and I but you didn't take any for yourself."  
  
Waving her hand she waved away his concern. "I promised Miss Alice I would eat with her tonight. Between her trips to Cataleechie, my trip home and everything else we haven't had much time to talk," she explained. "Ruby-Mae is spending the night with the Spencer's and David is still stuck out in El Pano waiting for his shipment so it'll just be the two of us."  
  
"Sounds nice."  
  
"It will be, but only if I get going now."  
  
"I can give you a ride, you'll get there faster."  
  
"No that's all right," she said, smiling a 'thank you for the offer' smile. "You're tired and need sleep. Just lock the front door so Teddy can't escape and get lost. I'll be fine."  
  
Waving goodbye to Teddy Christy was out the door before Neil had a chance to say anything else. Only when she was a few minutes away from the cabin did she remember that's she had left her bag on the floor by the stairs. Sighing she shook her head but kept walking, she'd have to get it later.  
  
Walking through the woods Christy's mind kept wandering back to the look on Neil's face as he had sat at the other end of the table. At first he'd looked like he was sleeping, his head propped up on one of his hands, but then, after he had begun eating, she had felt him staring at her. Neil had been acting strange for some time now and she didn't quite know what to think.  
  
She'd have to talk to Miss Alice about it.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting at the table, a cup of tea between her hands, Christy waited while Alice came back in with her own cup of tea to sit and talk some more. The dinner had been nice, sharing their stories of what had been going on in their lives for the last month or so. With no one else there but the two of them Christy felt a sense of peace that she normally didn't feel and she couldn't help but wonder at it.  
  
"Christy," Alice said as she sat down again. "I would like to take a moment of seriousness with thee."  
  
Furrowing her brow Christy wondered what Alice meant. "Of course."  
  
"Thee left the mission with Teddy this afternoon and thee returned without him. I can only assume that thee came across Neil in thy journeys today." Christy nodded. "How does thee feel about our doctor?"  
  
"Miss Alice? What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean as I said. What are thy feelings toward Doctor MacNeill?"  
  
"Well..." Christy stammered as she tried to put her feelings into the proper words. "I guess he's a very dear friend. We have many things in common but we also have many different viewpoints on matters. You know as well as I do that we can spring into a fight as though we had been arguing all day but I always know that I can trust him when I need to. I can also trust that he seems to know exactly what to say to get under my skin in the worst way."  
  
Alice smothered her smile. She'd seen the evidence of that all too often. But...  
  
"Yet thee have not argued for quite some time now have thee?"  
  
"Well no," Christy admitted. "I suppose not. He's been a little busy lately. As have I really, especially after going to Asheville and dealing with Teddy."  
  
Shifting in her seat Alice leaned forward a little bit in her seat. "And that is something I wished to talk with thee about."  
  
Meeting the Quakers gaze Christy felt her heart begin to sink. "How so?"  
  
"Christy, I know thee has formed a bond with the little one, and he obviously has with thee as well. But I fear this may end in harm if it continues as it has. Thee spends so much time with thy mission work and now thee has been trying to spend an equal amount of time with Teddy and Neil. I fear that thee will do thyself harm if it continues."  
  
"Miss Alice I'm fine, truly I am."  
  
"Thee are young and strong but even thee have begun to feel the strain of living two lives."  
  
"Two lives?"  
  
"Thy life here at the mission and thy life with Teddy. These are two lives that cannot be easily blended, Miss Huddleston." Alice leaned back in her chair and studied Christy. "Thy sleep has suffered thy schoolwork as well, thee rush through thy chores and never stop to slow down. When was the last time thee simply went for a walk?"  
  
Christy opened her mouth to remind the woman that she had gone on a walk earlier that day but Miss Alice raised a hand to stop her.  
  
"Alone."  
  
Sighing Christy put her elbows on the table. "I can't stop, Miss Alice, I just can't. I love Teddy; he's become such a part of my life that I can't picture it without him."  
  
"And Neil? Teddy is Neil's family and vice versa. How does thee feel about him?"  
  
"Miss Alice I already told you how I feel about Neil."  
  
"And it is a proper Christian response. But tell me what thy heart truly says about that man."  
  
"Miss Alice I can't," Christy said after a moment. Hanging her head she couldn't meet Alice's eyes.  
  
"There is no shame in admitting thee are in love with him."  
  
"Miss Alice you know all too well that by law he is a married man!"   
  
Alice sighed. "I know this, Christy, just as I know the law holds no domain over a woman's heart."  
  
Fighting tears Christy hung her head. "How could I have let this happen Miss Alice? Why didn't I see it coming?"  
  
"It has been coming for so long thee could not possibly have seen it, child."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Has thee ever heard of the adage 'opposites attract'? Thee and Neil are two very different people but thee have been cut in such a way that thee compliment each other." Alice smiled. "Thee fight horribly but thee have always known that thee could turn to each other if thee needed help. Thee have turned to Neil and he to thee. Thy trust in each other speaks more loudly than any argument thee have ever had."  
  
"But there is still a fact that cannot be ignored, Miss Alice. Neil is married to Margaret."  
  
"That's right," a voice sounded from the door. "He is still married to me."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Christy's heart dropped to the floor when she heard the voice from behind her. Glancing up at Alice she could see that the older woman had paled a shade or two, her eyes wide in her face as she stared at the woman in the doorway. Turning in her seat to look behind her Christy could see why Alice was so shocked.  
  
The Margaret that stood before her was one so very different from the one she remembered. Her skin was grayish and gaunt, her natural beauty gone. The angry spark of life that had filled her eyes was dimmed.  
  
"Margaret thee is not well."  
  
"I know that mother," she snapped.  
  
"Sit down Margaret, I'll get you some tea," Christy offered, getting up to pull a cup from the shelf.  
  
"I don't need any of your tea, Miss Christy Huddleston," Margaret seethed just before she began to cough, her entire body trembling with the force of it.  
  
"Yes, you do," Christy insisted.   
  
Getting up from her chair she left it out for Margaret to sit in while she went into the kitchen to get some tea for her. Picking up the pot of boiling water she realized that her hands were shaking too much to carry it. Setting it back down the boiling water inside splashed up over the edge, burning Christy's hand. Crying out she shook the water off and tried desperately to blink away the tears that stung at her eyes.  
  
But the tears would not leave.  
  
Leaning against the counter of the small kitchen she put her hand over her eyes and let the tears come. So long as she had been able to mislead her own heart, to trick into thinking she didn't care, Christy had been able to avoid the pain of loving a married man. But, openly facing the problem, she was unable to keep the truth hidden any longer.   
  
Now though... with Margaret sitting in the other room, Christy knew her real trial had only just begun.  
  
Finishing the tea preparations she put the small teapot and cup on a tray and headed back out into the dining room. Setting the tray onto the table she poured Margaret a cup of tea and set it in front of her. Glaring at her for a moment Margaret relented and took the tea, pulling the cup closer to her. Reaching into her pocket she pulled out a small metal flask and dumped its contents into the cup.  
  
Glancing over to Alice Christy saw her face harden and her back stiffened. Watching as her daughter drank herself into yet another stupor Alice decided she'd had enough. It was time for answers.  
  
"Why is thee here, Margaret?"  
  
Smiling a wicked smile she met her mother's gaze. "Isn't it obvious? I'm dying mother. I've come home to die in the arms of my husband. After all it was Neil who told me to come home so he could take care of me like a proper husband."  
  
Christy felt the floor drop out from under her. Reaching for the edge of the table she steadied herself, thankful she was already sitting down. Her mind reeled through the last month as though she were living it again. There had been nothing the entire time, no hint from Neil that he had sent for Margaret.  
  
"Shocked?" Margaret sneered. "He is a man after all. Men won't chase a woman they can't have if there's another to take her place."  
  
"Enough!" Alice interfered. Getting to her feet Alice looked down at the dying woman she had given birth to so many years ago. "If thee needs a bed thee may take the spare cot in the hall. But be warned Margaret. I'll not have thee making trouble for anyone in this cove."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it mother," she said, her innocence so thin a veil that a simple breath would knock it out of place. Taking her bag and flask Margaret stood and moved toward the hall. "I'll only be here the one night anyway. Tomorrow I will be going back to Mac's cabin where I belong."  
  
Margaret disappeared into the hallway leaving Alice and Christy to feel the full force of her message.  
  
She was back for good.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
For the life of her she couldn't understand why she was so mad.   
  
Since the moment she had set foot in her bedroom that evening Christy had been trying to control the anger that had been rising in her chest. She wasn't sure who she was mad at exactly, but she was still furious.  
  
Christy was sitting up in her bed, sleep avoiding her room at all costs, when she heard the pounding on the door from below. Hurrying downstairs she met Alice in the main room but it was Christy who opened the door.  
  
"Isaak?"  
  
"I'm sorry I hads ta wake ya Miz Christy but Doc Neil says hit be real 'portant."  
  
"Isaak what is it?" she asked. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Doc Neil be at th'cabin 'cause Wilmer tuk a bad fall, he said he needs ya ta come an' git Teddy."  
  
"All right, you head on back and I'll be right there."  
  
Nodding the boy ran into the night while Christy turned to shut the door. Explaining the situation to Alice she hurried upstairs to get dressed. As quickly as she could Christy raced through the woods on Prince to get to the O'Teale's cabin, her mind wandering between hoping Wilmer was okay and the decision that needed to be made about where to take Teddy. Did she take him back to Neil's cabin or back to the mission? She had finally decided to take him back to the cabin, she didn't want him anywhere near Margaret, when she reached the O'Teale's.  
  
"Teacher?"  
  
Pulling Mountie into a quick hug Christy stepped into the cabin. She could see the children huddled in one corner, Swannie pacing at the fire nervously wringing her hands, while Neil was bent over a young man lying on the bed. Greeting the children first she moved over to Swannie to give her a comforting hug and whisper that everything would be okay.   
  
As she approached Neil's side she saw that Teddy was clinging to his legs, refusing to let go, tears resting on his lashes. When the little boy saw Christy though he let go of Neil and had toddled over to her, clutching her skirts as he tried to climb up into her arms. Reaching down Christy pulled Teddy up to rest on her hip and turned to face Neil.  
  
"How is Wilmer?"  
  
"I don't know yet. He's still unconscious but I'm not sure if it's from the fall or his condition." Getting up from the bed Neil led Christy back outside. "I may have to operate on the boy's head Lass, I don't want Teddy to be here for that."  
  
"I'll take care of him."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Be sure to let me know how Wilmer fares," she said as she mounted Prince.   
  
Neil handed Teddy up to her but rested his hand on the boy's leg once he was settled, his blue eyes watching Christy curiously. "Is something wrong Lass?"  
  
Christy avoided his eyes. "I need to get Teddy back to sleep or he'll be terrible in the morning."  
  
Kicking her heels into Princes side Christy turned the horse to head back into the woods, leaving Neil to stare after her for a moment, confused by the coolness he had heard in her voice and seen in her eyes. Something was definitely bothering her and he had a bad feeling it had to do with him.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Telling Teddy to sit on the hay where she had put him Christy quickly unsaddled Prince, brushed him down, and tied him to the barn post. Turning to gather Teddy she almost screamed when she looked at the hay pile and saw it was empty. About to yell his name she heard a small giggle and, rounding the corner of the barn, saw the little boy toddling towards the river.  
  
"F'sh!" he giggled, pointing toward the water.  
  
"No, no, no," Christy said, picking him up. "We can go see the fish tomorrow, okay? It's time to sleep, TeddyBear."  
  
Smiling at the sound of his nickname Teddy agreed and as she carried him up the hill to the stairs he couldn't stop the yawn that pulled his mouth open and closed his eyes. Up the stairs to the main cabin Christy shut the door and turned to see Teddy already heading up to the bedroom, climbing the stairs as fast as his little legs could move.   
  
Letting him do the work, knowing it would tire him out quicker, Christy followed him up the stairs. Tucking Teddy into the bed Christy was turning away when she felt him grab her skirt and pull, trying to keep her there with him. Smiling down at him she told him to close his eyes and go to sleep but he kept his grip on her skirt when she tried to step away again.   
  
Giving in Christy settled down on the bed next to him. Laying her head on the pillow Christy hummed a soft tune until she was sure Teddy was asleep. Quiet settled over the cabin and Christy closed her eyes. Burying her face in the pillow she could smell the scents that seemed to follow Neil everywhere; a smoky scent from the fire, the fresh scent of an outdoor breeze, the stinging smell of the alcohol and lye, and the spicy aroma of the tobacco from his pipe.  
  
Squeezing her eyes tightly shut Christy couldn't stop the tears of pain that leaked out when she remembered the woman lying under the roof of the mission.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bone tired Neil slung down from the saddle and led Charlie into the barn. Stopping short he saw Prince tied there and a smile began to form on his face. Leaving Charlie with Prince to share the barn he gave them both some fresh hay and an apple as a treat for their hard work. Slipping into the cabin he searched the main room but didn't see Christy anywhere. Heading toward the stairs he heard feet climbing the outer stairs and turned toward the door instead.  
  
"Jeb?"  
  
"Sorry ta be botherin' ya doc but Clara arms been hurtin' something feirce. We was hopin' ya might have somethin' ta holp her."  
  
"Of course," Neil told him. "I'll be there soon, just let me get some supplies."  
  
Nodding Jeb hurried back home to be with his little girl while Neil went into his lab to get some medicine for the pain if it was as bad as Jeb was saying. The poor little girl had broken her arm and her childhood energy was making it impossible for her to keep it still.   
  
Saddlebags packed once more Neil decided to take just a moment to tell Christy about Wilmer, that the boy was going to be fine. Hurrying up the stairs he softly entered the bedroom and saw Christy curled up on top of the covers, Teddy spooned up against her under the covers. Pulling a quilt off the end of the bed he opened it and laid it over the young woman, gently tucking it in.  
  
As he laid it over her shoulders Neil could see shiny tracks running down her cheeks shimmering in the moonlight that was peeking through the window. Frowning Neil realized that she had been crying. Gently wiping away a small lock of hair that rested on her ear he knew he had to get going and quietly shut the door behind him as he left the room, the whole while his mind racing to find an answer to the tears she had shed.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
It was the bouncing of the bed that first alerted her to the fact that morning had come. Cracking open one eye Christy looked up to see Teddy, on his knees, grinning down at her. Clapping with glee that she had woken up he laughed and babbled for her to get out of bed.  
  
"Okay, okay, okay," she yawned.  
  
With lightning quick hands she reached out and grabbed Teddy, tossing him onto his back and tickling his sides until he was breathless with laughter. Sitting up in the bed Christy felt the quilt covering her fall to her lap and she frowned. She didn't remember grabbing a quilt when she had laid down. Shrugging it off to tiredness Christy climbed out of the bed and plodded down stairs with Teddy in her arms to make them both some breakfast.  
  
As she was spooning him up the last bite Christy heard footsteps on the porch stairs and she wondered if it was Neil coming home after caring for Wilmer. Wiping Teddy's mouth with a small rag she settled him in the middle of his toys and straightened in time to see the door open.  
  
"I can't say I'm surprised to find you here," Margaret wheezed as she entered the cabin. "This must be the child I was told about. Hello there, Eddie."  
  
"His name is Teddy."  
  
Margaret cut her in two with a look. "Whatever his name is he'll be staying here with me now. You have no place in this cabin."  
  
"You're in no condition to take care of a little child, Margaret," Christy declared. "I'll take Teddy with me and leave you in peace."  
  
"I am Mac's wife, this is our cousin," she said with a savage tone. "You have no place in his life anymore. Now get out of our cabin."  
  
With a sudden burst of surprising strength Margaret pushed Christy out of the cabin and locked the door in her face. Glaring at the locked door she stomped her foot and, willing back the fresh tears in her eyes, stormed away from the cabin. She wasn't about to leave Teddy with that woman for one moment but Christy knew that she could never get into that cabin with someone's help.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Wearily climbing the stairs to the mission house Neil saw Prince at the hitching post and knew he would finally get the chance to talk to Christy. He needed to tell her about Wilmer, and Clara, and he was dying to ask her why she had been crying the night before. He was almost to the door when he heard her voice coming from the inside.  
  
"David how can you say such a thing?"  
  
"I'm only saying what I know a lot of people in this cove will think Christy! You shouldn't get involved, this has just become a family matter."  
  
"I know that David. Believe me I know all too well that Teddy is not my own child but it doesn't matter. You yourself stepped in when you were worried about Lundy being hurt by his father. You never stopped to think consider that it was a family matter."  
  
"But you don't know for sure that he is!"  
  
"Yes I do! Now are you going to help me or do I have to go get him by myself?"  
  
"What's going on here?" Neil said as he stepped into the mission.  
  
Looking from one face to the other he could see that the two people were very differed in their emotional state. Christy looked almost desperate while David was highly agitated about something.  
  
"Doctor, I heard there was a problem with Wilmer, is he going to be..."  
  
"What about Teddy?" Neil said, cutting the preacher off. "Why are you so worried about Teddy? Where is he?" he demanded of Christy when David didn't reply immediately.  
  
"Teddy is at thy cabin," Alice said as she entered the room from the stairway. "With Margaret."  
  
Silence fell over the cabin like a thick blanket of fog. Neil stared at Alice. Alice stared at the fire. David stared at Christy. Christy stared out the window. For several moments no one spoke until Neil broke the silence.  
  
"What?" he whispered in disbelief.  
  
"Margaret has returned."  
  
Staring at Alice for one brief moment Neil turned on his heel, his exhaustion forgotten, and ran out of the cabin toward Charlie. Watching him mount up and race away Christy's last ounce of hope dropped to the ground, tread to little pieces under the hooves of Charlie's racing legs. Her heat seemed to beat one soft, sad beat, before dying in her chest.  
  
"It'll be ok," David said. "You'll see."  
  
Both women turned to look at him, their gazes withering, before turning and leaving the room, Alice going to the church to pray while Christy went upstairs to her bedroom to not cry.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Tearing through the woods, pushing Charlie to the edge of exhaustion, Neil raced toward his cabin, rage filling his chest. She'd done it again. That hellish woman he'd once called a wife had found a way to destroy him all over again. Just as he'd picked up the pieces, just as he'd managed to forget all about her and get on with his life, she'd come back to tear it all to shreds.  
  
He wasn't going to let her get away with it this time. She was not going to stay in his cabin. If she needed a bed she could sleep at the mission or in the woods for all he cared. Neil was not going to let her destroy his life all over again. It wasn't just his life any more; it was Teddy's too.  
  
Jumping off of Charlie as he neared the cabin he let him go to graze and ran up the stairs of the cabin to the front door. Throwing it open he stormed inside and scanned the room, his eyes falling on the sickly figure huddled by the fire. For a moment the doctor in him took over and he examined her briefly with his eyes. He knew just by looking at her... she was dying.  
  
"Hello Mac," she said with a raspy voice. "Aren't you going to say hello?"  
  
"Why are you here?"  
  
"I've come home," she smiled slightly. "I've come home to you Mac, to us."  
  
"There is no us," he bit off, his earlier rage coming back to him. "You're not welcome here Margaret."  
  
"This is my home."  
  
"This stopped being your home the moment you faked your death."  
  
"Come on Mac," she pleaded. "We can be a family now. I know you've always loved children. We can raise Eddie as our child, you'll be his father and I'll be his mother, just like you'd always wanted."  
  
"Teddy has a mother."  
  
"She is not his mother!" Margaret spat, furious that he would mention her mother's new 'daughter'.   
  
"She is more his mother than you will ever be." Neil's eyes were cold, his voice frigid. "Get out of my home Margaret. You lost the right to be here a long time ago."  
  
"She's a child, Mac," she ground out between her teeth. "She's a God fearing little girl who would never marry a married man."  
  
Neil turned to face her and walked a little closer until he stood over her, towering above the woman as she sat in the chair by the fire. Leaning down he lowered his gaze to meet hers and spoke with a quiet, even voice.  
  
"She'll marry a widower."  
  
Margaret gasped as Neil stood and moved toward the stairs, on up to the bedroom. Not seeing Teddy there either his concern began to grow into true worry. Where was the little lad? It wasn't possible for him to get into the lab, he'd been careful to keep that door locked. The only other place he could be was in the main room of the cabin. Unless he was hiding. Checking every spot the little one could hide in Neil scoured the cabin trying to find him.   
  
"Where is he?"  
  
"Who?" she said, staring into the fire miserably, her plans failed.  
  
"Teddy!" he yelled, barely resisting the urge to shake her. "Where is Teddy?"  
  
"I sent him away with her," she finally spat out, knowing he would leave once she said something.  
  
Grabbing her shoulders Neil picked her up from the chair and forced her to her feet. "Don't lie to me woman. Where is he?"  
  
"I told you!" she yelled.  
  
"I was just there and she said Teddy was here with you, now where is he?!"  
  
Meeting Neil's eyes Margaret was shocked at the rage they held. She'd seen him angry on more than one occasion, usually because of her, but the anger and rage she saw in his eyes now surpassed all those other times combined.  
  
"I... I don't know..."  
  
"What do you mean you don't know?"  
  
"I sent him out to play! He was crying and sitting at the door so I told him to go out and play!"  
  
"You sent him outside alone!"  
  
Letting go of her Neil took a step backwards and looked down at her with disgust. "If you want medicine take it but I want you out of my home before I get back or so help me woman I will kick you out myself."  
  
Turning Neil stormed out of the cabin, calling out for Teddy the moment his foot hit the porch. Walking through the woods around the cabin he headed down to the river first, his heart in his throat as he called out for Teddy. After an hour of searching he knew he needed help and Neil raced back to the cabin to get Charlie. Getting to the mission house as fast as he could Neil ran inside and found David sitting at the table preparing his sermon while Alice worked on a piece of stitchwork.  
  
"Where's Christy? Is Teddy here?" he demanded.  
  
Looking up to see his wild eyes Alice stood, concern beginning to fill her face. "What is it Neil? What has happened?"  
  
"I need to find Teddy," he said, moving toward the stairs to check Christy's room. Not bothering to knock or wait for permission to enter Neil opened the door to her room and saw her standing by the window, her back to him. "Christy..."  
  
Christy turned to face him and he could see tears on her cheeks again. Suddenly remembering the night before Neil had a feeling he knew what the tears were about. Crossing the floor to her side he watched as she wiped the tears away with the back oh her hand, though fresh ones took their place almost immediately.   
  
"What are you doing here?" she said, her voice barely above a whisper though filled with a pain Neil knew only too well.  
  
Putting his hands gently on her shoulders Neil knew this was going to hurt for her to hear. "Lass," he said as he wiped the tears from her cheek. "Teddy is missing."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Christy sighed. "That's not funny Neil," she frowned, turning back to the window. "He's with Margaret and you know it."  
  
"Christy," he said, pulling her back to face him. "He's not there. She sent him outside and I can't find him."  
  
Neil could read the disbelief in her eyes but he saw it slowly leak out of them as it was replaced by the same sense of panic and fear he felt running through his own veins.  
  
"No!" she cried, tears springing into her eyes at the thought of what might have happened.  
  
Pulling her into his arms Neil fought to keep control over his own fears for the little boy he'd come to love as a son. Neil couldn't believe it had only been a few months since Teddy had come into his life and yet even though their time together had been short Neil didn't want to imagine a life without the little one.  
  
"Teddy..." she whispered, her hands coming up to grab his arms. "She... He..." She was speechless for a moment as her mind struggled to accept what he had told her. "The river!" she cried, her hands clutching his shirt in desperation. "Neil he could have..."  
  
"Don't think like that!" Neil said, stopping her from completing that thought. Pulling her a little closer he tightened his arms around her. "We'll find him we just need to get out there and look. You need to think of the places he likes to go."  
  
Struggling to pull her mind away from the river Christy thought of the places that Teddy liked to go. "He likes it here, especially in the barn. Teddy loves the animals."  
  
"All right I'll go check the barn. Think some more Christy, we need to know where to look!"  
  
Hurrying downstairs Christy tried to think of places that Teddy would go while Neil went out to the barn to look in there. David had already left to get help from the rest of the cove while Miss Alice was saddling Goldie to head off in the other direction. She was pacing the porch when she suddenly thought of how much he liked to go to Lover's Falls. Telling Miss Alice where she was going Christy picked up the hem of her pale blue skirt and ran off in the direction of the falls.  
  
As Christy ran her mind floated back through the last two months, the small amount of time that Teddy had been in her life. She couldn't remember a time when she had been happier than when she had been with Teddy. His little laugh that filled the air when she would tickle him. Those big brown eyes that would stare up at her. She could practically hear the sound of his little sigh when he would finally fall asleep after a long day of playing.   
  
Her minds eye traveled back to see Teddy sitting in the middle of a field of tall grass, his little body gone from sight because the grass was so tall. Christy had been lying next to him, watching him play with a small cricket that had sat on his knee. She didn't know how long they had been there but suddenly they weren't alone. Hearing the whinny of a horse she had sat up to see Charlie ambling through the field, neither he nor Neil in any hurry to get anywhere.  
  
He had seen her suddenly sit up and a slow smile pulled at his lips. Turning Charlie towards them he stopped a few feet away. Dismounting he dropped into the grass next to them, leaving Charlie to munch to his hearts delight. They'd spent a few hours that day just cloud watching, resting, joking, laughing, and playing until Teddy was nearly asleep. Watching as the little boy had settled down into the crook of Neil's arm she could see that Neil was going to get up to take him home.  
  
'Wait a minute,' she'd whispered to him.  
  
Curious Neil looked over at her as he felt her hand come to rest on his arm to hold him still. Her eyes were focused on Teddy, soft eyes that were filled with a love for the little boy that made Neil's own heart swell. Her blue eyes were filled with more than the love of a teacher or an aunt. Those big blue eyes that he could read so well were filled with the love of a mother.  
  
Suddenly Neil heard a soft sigh escape from Teddy.   
  
'There,' she smiled. 'Now he's asleep.'  
  
Smiling back at her they stood and walked over to Charlie. Holding Teddy while Neil mounted Christy handed the little boy up to him, sound asleep, and waved as they turned to go home. Watching them leave she had turned to head back to the mission and the schoolwork that was waiting for her on her desk.  
  
Shaking her head to clear it of the memories Christy was nearly out of breath when she reached the edge of the cliff and what little she had was knocked out of her at the sight she saw waiting for her.   
  
"No!" she screamed.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Slamming the barn door behind him Neil stormed out of the building and across the yard toward the mission. Teddy hadn't been in the barn and Neil was beginning to loose the thin hold he had on his patience. As he was nearing the mission house Alice mounted Goldie and turned her horse to face him.  
  
"Christy has left for Lover's Falls, she believes Teddy may be there."  
  
Hurrying over to Charlie Neil mounted and both he and Alice hurried out of the yard towards the tucked away little fall. As he rode through the forest Neil couldn't keep his mind from dwelling on the sense of panic that was rising in his chest with every passing second. He'd never dreamed that a little boy would find such a place in his heart, and especially not as quickly as Teddy had.  
  
Neil had always wanted children; he'd never made a secret of that to Margaret when they had been married. Yet they'd never seemed to be able to have them. They had come close once but she had lost the child after only a few weeks. Neil had hoped they would try again but she didn't seem interested in a family anymore. And not too long after that she had left.  
  
At that time in his life Neil had given up on ever having a family of his own. His wife was dead and his life held nothing for him except the demands of the people of his cove. And then one day all of that had changed. Christy Rudd Huddleston had come to the cove bringing a fresh breeze that blew meaning back into his life once more. He wasn't sure when it had happened exactly but at some point he had fallen in love with her.  
  
Just when he thought life was getting back in order Margaret had come back. He had recovered and gotten life back in order again but then she came back again, a reminder of her hold on his life no matter how hard he tried to get out from under it. Finally, after nights upon nights of sleeplessness Neil had discovered a vital truth to his recovery from Margaret's influence on his life.   
  
He didn't care anymore.  
  
His heart belonged to one woman only. The sweetest woman he'd ever known. A woman who loved his cove as much as he did, one who understood his need to leave in the middle of the night and possibly not return for days at a time. She understood it because she felt the same way. Though Christy might not have the chance to help the cove as often, and in such drastic ways, as he did she still found ways to be there for the cove. Be it by teaching the children or even something as simple as baking a pie for a social gathering she told the cove how much she loved them with every day she spent in the cove. That was something Margaret had never been able, nor ever really cared to do.  
  
Christy's scream jolted Neil out of his inner thoughts and jerking his head up to look for her he watched as she disappeared from sight, running down the steep path to the little valley below. Urging Charlie on faster he stopped the horse a few feet away from the edge of the cliff and ran to it's edge, his heart beating it's way out of his chest for fear of what he might see below.  
  
Every nightmare he could have possibly imagined, every horror he'd ever seen as a doctor had been ill equipped to prepare him for the sight he saw below.  
  
"NO!!" he roared.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
He'd been walking through the woods on his way to their second still when he heard someone running through the grasses a little ways away. Curious he'd crouched lower, scanning the open clearing before him and watched as Christy came running up to the edge of the valley that led to the pool below Lover's Falls.   
  
No matter how much good she had done Birdseye was still leery of the city gal, never trusting any of them farther than he could throw them. She'd done some good for his family when she'd saved the life of his boy, and his own life of course, but be that as it may she was still a city gal, a mission one to boot.   
  
Shaking his head Birdseye was about to continue on his way when he saw her face contort with a sudden, desperate, terrifying fear. Hearing her scream, seeing her disappear into the valley he edged closer and moved to stand at the top of the falls overlooking the valley. So intent on seeing what was happening he didn't realize anyone else was there until he heard the Doc's thunderous yell.  
  
Raising his rifle Birdseye squinted, his sight lining up with the rifle, his eyes following its line to the target below. Moving his finger toward the trigger he gently squeezed, the shot ringing out followed by an eerie silence.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
First Christy's piercing scream.   
  
Then Neil's thunderous roar.   
  
And now, her heart hammering against her breastbone, a single rifle shot echoing through the woods. Pulling Goldie to a stop next to Charlie she inched closer to the cliff to look below.   
  
Her legs giving out beneath her Alice fell to her knees in the tall grass at the edge of the cliff, one hand covering her mouth the other stopping over her heart as her face paled to a sickly white.  
  
"Dear Lord," she said with a strangled whisper, her eyes riveted on the scene below her. "No!"  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Her heart had stopped cold and yet at the same time it hammered in her chest so hard she was sure it was going to beat its way out. For an instant, though it felt like an eternity to her, Christy froze in place, unable to move, unable to think. Her eyes were glued to the sight she saw before her.  
  
There, by the water of a place she had come to love, Teddy played with a small stick in one hand and a slightly larger one in the other. His face was aglow with joy as he beat the two sticks on a rock near the waters edge. Laughing with glee at the music he was making Teddy decided to try other things. He hit the grass, the water, the pebbles, but nothing made the same noise as the rock. Spying a larger one he had toddled over to it and begun to hit it with the sticks.  
  
This rock didn't make any sounds at all. Instead it shifted its weight, slowly getting to its feet and turning to face the innocent little boy that stared up at it.  
  
Spurred into action by a force she didn't know was in her Christy screamed as loudly as she could and ran down the steep path to get to Teddy before the bear could. Her legs carried her swifter than they had ever moved before and Christy nearly flew down the trail to Teddy's side. Just as she reached the boys side the bear unleashed one of it's paws and moved to strike the boy who had hit it with the sticks.  
  
Grabbing Teddy's arms she yanked him out of the bears reach and turned, putting herself between the bear and it's prey. She felt the claws rake against her back as she tried to move away. The force of the blow sent her to her knees, the pain searing up and down her body. Before she could scream another blow knocked her to the ground.   
  
The sounds of the water falling from the cliff, the sound of the bears breath in her ear was silenced, muted as though they weren't even there. One small noise rose to meet her senses as from before her she heard the sound of a sacred little boy's whimper.  
  
She had to protect Teddy.  
  
That was the only thought running in her mind as she fell to the ground. Pulling the little boy under her, knowing he was small enough to be hidden, Christy curled herself around Teddy, hiding him from the bears eyes and claws. As her head hit the ground she felt the sharp pain of her head hitting a rock and the world around her became as dark as a moonless night, her ears unable to hear the sound of a man's cry. A man who's own nightmare was coming true that very moment.  
  
Above them, at the edge of the cliff, Neil was rooted to his spot, his throat raw from the force of his cry, his eyes wide at the events he witnessed before him, the sounds of a claw ripping both fabric and skin. He watched as Christy lay motionless on the ground, the bear continuing its attack on her though she lay as still as a log. The ground beneath her became red as her blood ran forth, mixing with the water turning it a murky color.  
  
At that moment Neil wished he were dead, there was no life without Christy.  
  
It was the bang of a sawed off rifle that brought him out of his stupor, releasing the hold on his heart and allowing it to pump blood back to his muscles and limbs, enabling him to move to the edge of the trail, recklessly running down it's steep rocky path to get to the woman he loved. He never saw Alice as she sank to her knees, her skin paler than the moon.  
  
At the top of the ridge Alice watched as Neil raced down the pathway. Following his line of sight she saw a big bear lying still on the ground, a single bullet right between its eyes. But peeking out from under the bear she saw the hem of a pale blue skirt, torn and soaked with blood.   
  
It was Christy!  
  
Reaching the bear Neil pulled at it, unable to budge the bear until Birdseye came to help him. When the animal was rolled away they could all see the slashed, bloody back of an unconscious young woman. Needing to get down there to help Neil Alice shakily rose to her feet and hurried down the path to his side, praying all the while that she was okay.  
  
"Christy," Neil cried, his hands shaking as he reached for her neck, his fingers searching for a pulse. "Lass please," he whispered, his voice strangled. "Please don't leave me, not like this!"  
  
Though his fingers trembled Neil could feel the weak pulse of her heart and his body sagged with relief, tears stinging at his eyes. She was unconscious, her head resting on a small rock. Neil knew he shouldn't move her but at the same time he realized he had no choice.  
  
"Why?" Alice cried. "Why would she come down into the valley if she knew there was a bear here?"  
  
Grasping her shoulders gently Neil pulled at Christy until she rolled onto her side, her body resting against his legs, revealing the small, trembling, scared little boy who had nearly been crushed beneath her.  
  
"It was fer the young'un," Birdseye said, revealing the same truth that Neil had uncovered. "She dun pet 'erself b'tween her and the b'ar."  
  
"Alice get my saddlebags and then pick up Teddy, I don't want him near this," Neil ordered. "Birdseye get back to the mission and find me a large sheet to carry Christy in. We have to get her back to the mission. Hurry man!"  
  
Jumping to his feet Birdseye did as he'd been told, still slightly shocked at the scene he had witnessed, leaving Neil alone with Christy. Shakily he tried to examine her for more wounds but Neil couldn't make his mind work, he couldn't focus on anything but the blood, the claws, the sound of the bear ripping into the woman he loved. Staring down at her, his vision blurred and Neil, for the first time in many years, couldn't maintain a professional detachment as hi tear slipped down his cheeks.  
  
"Neil," Alice said as she set the saddlebags by his feet.   
  
"I can't lose her Alice," he said. Lifting his eyes from Christy he met Alice's stricken gaze. "I can't."  
  
"Then thee must work to save her," she said. "Her life rests in thy hands. With God guiding thy skill we will not lose her."  
  
"But I don't believe in your God," he despaired.  
  
"Christy has faith in God and she has faith in thee as well. If thee can believe in her then God will believe in thee."  
  
Alice watched as Neil began to examine Christy again, this time his focus more certain, his hands moving surely as he looked through the blood to the wounds beneath. Closing her eyes Alice crushed Teddy to her and prayed that Christy would be well, she had told Neil to trust in God and Alice knew she needed to as well. But the sight of the young woman lying there on ground that was soaked by her own blood...   
  
Shuddering she stood and moved away, remembering Neil's demand that Teddy not see anything more than he had to.  
  
"Lord," she prayed. "I beg of thee... keep thy daughter with us."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on a chair next to the bed Neil couldn't move. His back was sore, his arms too exhausted to move, and his eyes bloodshot from the hours he had worked on the young woman lying on the bed.   
  
Birdseye had come back from the mission at a run, a sheet in hand that they used to transport Christy back to the mission, making sure she was lying on her front so as to keep her back from receiving any more damage. Alice had rode ahead to prepare the table and to boil his instruments so that he could get to work as soon as they had arrived. Neil had gotten to work immediately, sending Birdseye out one more time to fetch Dan Scott. For hours they had worked together, closing off arteries that had been nicked, stitching the wounds shut, and double-checking their work to make sure they hadn't missed anything.   
  
Now he sat by her side, unwilling, unable, to leave.  
  
Alice brought in some soup for him to eat but it went untouched as he sat in a bedside vigil, watching over Christy as though his will power alone would keep her alive. Day merged into night and back into day as he sat there, waiting, wishing, hoping. She didn't wake up; she didn't move a muscle. With each passing hour Neil could feel his hope slipping further and further away. Finally, after nearly four days of waiting Neil knew he couldn't put it off any longer.  
  
"William... this is Neil."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Sitting in his study William was reading an interesting article on a recent trial when he heard the phone ring. Remembering that Julia wasn't here to answer it he put his paper down and slowly rose out of his chair. Walking over to the phone, leaning slightly on his cane he walked. Reaching the phone he took a breath and picked up the receiver, hoping he didn't sound as out of breath as he felt, today had not been a good day.  
  
"Hello?"  
  
"William? This is Neil."  
  
"Neil," William smiled. "How good to hear from you. Checking up on your long distance patient?"  
  
There was a pause. "No."   
  
The hesitant voice he heard responding to him put a boulder in the middle of his stomach and William prayed the answer he was going to receive would remove it. "Is everything all right?"  
  
There was a pause again and this time he heard the man on the other end swallowing as though trying to work something out of his throat. "No," came a strangled whisper.  
  
Closing his eyes William felt his heart freezing. "Is it Christy?" he asked praying with all his might that he was wrong.  
  
The air between the two men was silent and William knew before Neil could say a word that he had been right. "Yes."  
  
"Dear God," he whispered, falling against the wall next to the phone. "What's happened?"  
  
"I..."  
  
There was silence but William could hear the sound of a skirt shuffling in the background and when a voice came on the line again Neil was gone. "Mr. Huddleston?"  
  
"Yes, who is this?"  
  
"I be Fairlight Spencer."  
  
"Mrs. Spencer, please, tell me what's happened to my daughter," he pleaded.  
  
"She was attacked by a bear," Fairlight told him. "Doc Neil's fixed her up as best he can but she hit her head an' she ain't waked up yet."  
  
"A bear!" he cried, gripping the table next to him to keep from falling over. "My daughter was attacked by a bear!?" he yelled. "How did this happen?"  
  
Explaining what she had been told by Miss Alice Fairlight waited when silence reigned on the other end of the phone. Staring at the telephone box hanging on the wall he tried to take in the information that he had just been told.   
  
Teddy.   
  
Christy had told him about the little boy when she had been home for a visit. He'd been able to see how much she cared about the little one and now he knew exactly how much that really was. Closing his eyes he knew he had to do something.  
  
"Tell Miss Henderson that I shall be out as soon as I can and please, Mrs. Spencer," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "Please give my little girl a kiss and tell her I'll be there as soon as I can."  
  
Promising she would they hung up and William gently placed the earpiece back on the hook, his mind numb as he stared at it. Sinking down into the nearest chair he put his head in his hands and, tears in his eyes, prayed with everything he had in him that God would watch over his little girlie and keep her safe. They'd lost one daughter, he couldn't live with losing another.  
  
"Sir?" Lifting his head William saw one of the maids standing there, Rebecca, a concerned look on her face. "Shall I call someone?"  
  
"No," he said, shaking his head to bring himself back into reality. "Hurry, you must pack a bag for Mrs. Huddleston and I to leave tonight. Take as many people as you need to do it but hurry woman. Find Richard, tell him I need him immediately."  
  
"Sir?"  
  
"Just do it, girl!"  
  
"Yes'ir!"  
  
Scurrying away the young woman hurried into the kitchen to grab the other maid and together they packed a bag for their employer, both Mr. and Mrs. Huddleston, gossiping between themselves as to what this was all about. They finished packing and brought the bags downstairs, setting them in the study before hurrying back to the kitchen. There, surrounding the island in the center of the room, they saw everyone gathered, each one with a look of dread on their faces.   
  
"What's going on?" Rebecca asked.  
  
"Mr. Huddleston just informed me," Richard said, his face grave. "He and the Misses will be leaving for El Pano on the first train possible."  
  
"But why?" Rebecca interrupted.  
  
"I'll tell you why," the second maid replied, a grin on her face. "She's finally gonna marry that doctor they're always arguing about. That mountain man."  
  
"Stop it," the cook cried, silencing their laughter with a slice of her hand. "Richard," she said, motioning for the butler to continue.  
  
"Mr. Huddleston has just been informed that Miss Christina has been seriously injured."  
  
"How?" the maid gasped.  
  
"She was attacked by a bear."  
  
Sinking down into a chair Rebecca put a hand over her heart. "A bear!?" she whispered.  
  
"I'm sorry, Becca," Richard said, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I know how close the two of you were."  
  
Getting up from her chair Rebecca hurried to find William, running down the hall to his study. "Sir," she said when she found him. "Sir please, I have to come with you to see Christy!"  
  
Looking up to see her standing there William found that he couldn't look in her eyes and tell the woman no. "All right," he said softly. "Pack a bag, we leave as soon as Julia returns."  
  
As Becky hurried up the stairs towards the servant's room she heard the front door open and the Mrs. Voice float into the house as she returned from her shopping trip.  
  
"Mrs. Julia," Richard said as he took her bag, directing the boy who carried her boxes to set them on a table around the corner. "Mr. Huddleston is requesting you join him in the study immediately."  
  
"Of course Richard, tell William I'll be there in just a few moments."  
  
"I'm sorry ma'am," Richard said, taking her cloak from her. "The matter is too important to wait."  
  
Frowning, curious and confused, Julia headed toward the study to see William sitting at his desk, his head resting on its polished surface. Seeing the paleness of his skin she rushed to his side and fell to her knees. "William!" she cried, pulling at his arm to try and see his face, scared he may have suffered another stroke.  
  
Raising his head to look at her William took his wife in his arms and held her close. We need to leave for El Pano right away," he said softly, trying to find a way to tell Julia the news she needed to hear.  
  
"Lifting her eyes to his Julia read the fear in his and the same fear gripped her heart. "What's happened?"  
  
"Neil called here today. He couldn't talk about it; the poor man was so choked up. But one of Christy's friend told me what had happened. Do you remember Christy taking about the little boy that had been brought to the mission?" Julia nodded slowly. "He was missing and when they went off in search of him Christy found him near a fall they like to play at. There was a bear that Teddy had disturbed and when it tried to attack Teddy Christy put herself between the boy and the bear."  
  
Julia felt herself swaying on her knees and she reached out to grab William's arms. "No," she cried, tears stinging at her eyes. "Is she...?"  
  
"No!" he said quickly, trying to dispel as much of the fear from her eyes that he could. "She's still alive but Neil felt we should come out. Christy hasn't woken up yet, darling."  
  
Burying her head in his chest Julia let her tears fall, knowing she couldn't do so one they reached El Pano. Letting her cry on his chest William saw Richard in the doorway, motioning to him that they were all set to go. Waiting a little while longer he gently pushed on her arms so he could see her face.   
  
"It's time to go," he said. "Let's go be with our daughter."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
It took a moment for her to realize she was lying on her stomach.  
  
She felt as though a horse as sitting on her back, the pressure was making it difficult to breathe. Moaning under the pressure she heard the scraping of a chair over a wooden floor and seconds after she had moaned she felt a warm hand on her forehead.  
  
"Don't move too much Lass," he said. "You don't want to disturb the stitches."  
  
"Neil?" Christy whispered hoarsely, her throat parched.  
  
"I'm right here."  
  
Opening her eyes Christy saw a pair of worried blue eyes staring back at her. He was down on his knees next to the bed, she could smell the scent of his pipe, the mixture of the alcohol and lye that pricked at her nose. Blinking she tried to keep her eyes open but they felt as though they had been weighted by steel.  
  
"Tired..." she whispered.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Christy," he whispered.  
  
As she closed her eyes and drifted off Christy could feel a soft hand brushing her hair back and from somewhere far, far away she heard a man whisper "Thank you God."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Bringing Neil a plate of stew that she had cooked up for dinner, though she doubted he was going to eat it anyway, Alice opened the door and was shocked to see Neil on his knees by the side of the bed. When she heard his word of thanks she nearly dropped the plate she held in her hand. "Neil?"  
  
"She woke up, Alice!" he smiled, turning to look at her. "It was only for a few moments but she woke up and spoke."  
  
A large smile broke out on Alice's face and she leaned back against the doorway, sending up a prayer of thanks to the One who had been watching out for His daughter. For almost two weeks now they had been waiting, praying that she would wake up. It had been an anxious time for the small group of people now living at the mission, each one wondering if the young teacher was ever going to open her eyes again. At first there had only been a quartet of people waiting inside the mission walls, but after the arrival of William, Julia, and Rebecca their number had jumped up to seven.  
  
Setting the plate down on the nearest table Alice hurried downstairs to find the others. The first person she ran into was RubyMae. After telling her the good news the red haired girl scurried off to tell the cove, a bright smile lighting her way through the early evening dusk. Heading towards the kitchen Alice came upon two more people and told them as well.  
  
"Christy has woken up," she announced to Rebecca and David as they worked together to finish cleaning the small kitchen. "She has fallen back to sleep but she was awake for a moment and she spoke as well."  
  
"That's wonderful!" David beamed, a shadow lifting from his face as he smiled at Alice's good news.  
  
Leaving again to find the Huddleston's Alice left the kitchen, unaware of the stillness of the young woman she'd only just met. Turning to look at her David realized she hadn't spoken or even moved since Alice had told them the great news of Christy's awakening. Moving a little closer he peered around her shoulder and saw that there were tears running down her face, her eyes closed, as she leaned against the wash barrel.  
  
"Rebecca?" he said softly. "It's okay now, Christy's awake. She's going to be all right, you'll see."  
  
The young woman nodded. "I know that," she whispered at last. "I knew God wouldn't let me down."  
  
"How so?" David asked, wondering where she had come up with an idea like that.  
  
Wiping away the tears from her face Rebecca turned and offered David a wobbly smile. "When Christy first left Asheville to come here we promised each other that we would always keep each other in our prayers. The day she stepped on the train I prayed that God would keep her safe. Christy is the closest thing I've ever had to a sister and every time I would get a letter about something bad that had happened in the cove I knew God had answered my prayer all over again because she was still safe."  
  
A soft smile formed on David's face as he reached out to gently touch her shoulder. "He always watches over the sheep in his flock."  
  
Nodding Rebecca took a deep breath and turned back to the wash barrel to finish the dishes. As she did so though from the corner of her eye she caught sight of a woman hurrying through the other room and knew that Alice had found Julia.  
  
Getting up the stairs as fast as she could Julia opened the door to Christy room and saw Neil on his knees, head lowered on the bed, silent. "Doctor?" she said, taking a few more steps into the room.  
  
Jerking his head up Neil saw the older woman standing there and he tried to smile. "She's sleeping now but I believe she's going to be all right."  
  
Swaying with sheer relief for just a moment Julia moved to the other side of the bed and sat down next to her daughter. Ignoring the bandages that covered her back she focused on the sleeping face of her only little girl. "Thank you," she said after several moments. Lifting her head she looked at Neil. "Thank you for saving my daughters life."  
  
Looking back at her Neil didn't know what to say. This was a side of Julia he'd never seen before. Even when William had been under his care she had kept a politeness between them, her eyes and her very stance were reserved. But now, now it was different. He could read the pain, the sadness, the joy that filled her and Neil knew that whatever barriers had stood between them were now gone.  
  
Nodding he got to his feet and left the room so that Julia could be with her daughter. Neil himself had a pressing need to be with his own little boy. Down the stairs and out onto the porch he found William approaching, Teddy in his arms. Taking the little boy from him Neil moved out to the veranda while William went inside to see his daughter. Sitting down on the stairs to the small enclosure he wrapped his arms around Teddy.  
  
"I've missed you little guy," he said softly when he had relaxed his hold a bit. Setting the boy down onto his lap Neil looked down to see a solemn look on his face. "Teddy? What's wrong?"  
  
"Mama," he said.  
  
"Mama?"  
  
"G'na see Mama?" he asked, a hopeful lilt to his voice that was reflected in his eyes.  
  
Neil's heart leapt at his words. He considered Christy his mother. "Not yet," he said at last. "She's sleeping."  
  
"Sleep?" Neil nodded. "Wake up, Mama!"  
  
"No, no. She needs to sleep."  
  
"Sleep?"  
  
"Yes," Neil said carefully. "Mama needs to sleep."  
  
"Mama sleep," Teddy repeated. "Papa play?"  
  
Despite himself Neil smiled. "All right," he replied. "I'll play."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The pair was sound asleep on the couch in the main room of the mission. One was stretched out, his legs nearly reaching the fire, head tilted to one side and sure to be stiff when he woke. The other as curled up in his lap, thumb stuck in his mouth, blanket clutched in his small hands. As he slept his face began to scrunch up as though he was afraid. Seconds later a sad wail erupted from his mouth, waking the man who had been his pillow.  
  
"Teddy, wake up," Neil soothed, trying to bring the little boy out of his nightmare. When he cracked his eyes open, tears already forming in them, Neil smiled down at him. "It's okay, wee one, I'm right here."  
  
Climbing up to wrap his arms around Neil's neck Teddy clung to him tightly. "Mama," he cried. "Te'y want Mama."  
  
Sighing Neil decided that maybe it was time to let Teddy see Christy, just for a moment or two. Getting to his feet he climbed the stairs quietly. Stopping outside Christy door Neil hushed Teddy's tears. "We can go see her for a moment Teddy but you need to be quiet okay?"  
  
Teddy nodded and Neil opened the door. Crossing the room they sat down in the chair next to Christy's bed and both of them could see her clearly in the moonlight filtering in through the window. "Mama sleeping," Teddy whispered as quietly as a child can.  
  
Stirring in the bed Christy opened her eyes to see them both there and a small weak smile tugged at her lips.  
  
"Teddy," she whispered.  
  
Slowly, painfully, she moved her one hand up to touch his leg. Excited that she was awake Teddy bounced up and down, the movement causing Christy's arm to move as well. Wincing from the pain of the sudden movement she closed her eyes and fought to keep from moaning in pain. Recognizing the situation at once Neil moved Teddy out of the way and helped her to put her arm back in a more comfortable position.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Christy."  
  
"No," she whispered. "Teddy... okay?"  
  
"He's fine, there's not a scratch on him. Lass you need to rest. Go back to sleep."  
  
Her body not giving her a choice Christy closed her eyes and was asleep in a matter of seconds. Taking a moment to brush an imaginary lock of hair off her face Neil gathered Teddy in his arms and left her to sleep undisturbed. No one had noticed the man standing on the porch outside her room. Stepping into the room William stared at the door for a moment before turning his eyes back to his little girl, Teddy's word's ringing in his ears.  
  
'Mama...'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Waking up slowly Christy lay in the bed and stared out the window on the wall before her. She could see the brightly-lit sun shining in through the window and she wondered what time it was. Questions rang in her head and she tried to put them into some semblance of an order.   
  
She remembered everything.  
  
Margaret, Neil, Teddy, the bear... her memory was fine up until the moment the bear attacked. What had happened then? How had she ended up lying face down in her bed at the mission? How long had she been here? Obviously it had been long enough for her parents to arrive but even so... how long had they been here?  
  
She felt so confused.  
  
With slow purposeful movements she moved what she could, testing the range of motion she had, seeing what hurt and what didn't. Though it hurt too much to try to stand Christy found that she could roll onto her side with only a small amount of pain. Letting her body settle into its new position Christy took a deep breath and examined the changes in her room.  
  
The table next to her bed was loaded down with rolled bandages and bottles of alcohol. There were a few other bottles she didn't recognize but she was sure Neil knew what was in them. Lying there looking at the walls in her room Christy heard the door open and tried to crane her head to see who was entering the room. Not seeing anyone she furrowed her brow in a curiosity that was satisfied when she saw Teddy at the foot of the bed. Reaching out her hand she let him climb into the bed with her.  
  
"I've missed you," she told him as he spooned up against her, blanket clutched in his hands and thumb stuck in his mouth.  
  
Removing his thumb Teddy rolled over and patted Christy's cheek gently. "Mama hurt?"  
  
"Mama?"  
  
"That's what you are to him," said a soft voice from the doorway. Looking up Christy saw Neil approaching them. "You little bugger, I thought I told you to leave her alone."  
  
Closing his eyes Teddy rolled over to face Christy and buried his head in her chest to escape from Neil. Smiling Christy slowly reached up to stroke his back. "Well I'm glad he didn't listen."  
  
Shaking his head Neil couldn't help but smile. "How are you feeling this morning?" he asked, pressing a warm hand to her face to check for fever.  
  
"All right, I guess."  
  
"I'm surprised to see you on your side."  
  
"I don't really like lying on my stomach."  
  
"Well hold still, I need to make sure you haven't pulled any stitches."  
  
Watching Neil stand and move to the other side of the bed Christy suddenly realized how exposed she was under the blanket that covered her. She could feel a petticoat around her waist but above that there was nothing. Mortified Christy could feel her skin turning scarlet at the thought of Neil seeing her practically naked.  
  
"Neil don't..."  
  
Seeing her blushing furiously Neil couldn't help but smile. "Christy it's okay, I promise. I just need to make sure you didn't pull any stitches, it will be over in a few seconds, you'll see."  
  
"But Neil..."  
  
"Lass, listen to me." Sitting on the edge of the bed he waited for her to turn her eyes to see him. "Right now I am a doctor and you are a patient. There is nothing to be ashamed of or embarrassed about."  
  
"In my mind I know that, Neil," she replied after a moment. "It doesn't change the way I feel."  
  
"And that," he said, gently brushing her cheek with his fingers. "Is one of the many reasons I love you."  
  
Eyes widening Christy was too stunned to realize that Neil had already begun his examination of her back. Watching him work, the pull of his brow, the set of his jaw, Christy kept hearing his words repeating in her mind.  
  
'I love you.'  
  
Finishing his exam, satisfied that her stitches were fine, Neil looked down to see Christy still staring at him. He could read the surprise in her eyes and a small grin tugged at his lips. His first instinct was to say something, to tease her or make her smile to lessen the impact of what he had said a moment ago. But he didn't.   
  
Ignoring the strain it put on her back Christy moved her hand away from Teddy and reached behind her, taking Neil's large hand in her own small one.  
  
"I love you too, Neil."  
  
Suddenly he remembered how to breathe. Filling his lungs with much needed air Neil couldn't stop the smile from filling his face, pulling at his lips and sparkling in his eyes. She loved him back. After so many sleepless nights of wondering if she was going to marry the preacher after all he finally knew the truth.  
  
She loved him!  
  
Tired of lying still and listening to them talking Teddy quickly climbed to his feet and pounced on Christy, his pudgy little arms knocking her onto her back. Pain seared up and down her back as she felt it hit the bed, soft as it was, unable to stop the impact. Crying out from the pain she closed her eyes against the tears of pain that were forming.  
  
"Teddy, no!" Neil cried, grabbing the little boy and lifting him away from Christy before he could do any more damage. Setting him on the floor next to the bed, ignoring the tears forming in his eyes, Neil turned his full attention to Christy. "Lass?"  
  
"It hurts," she whimpered, her face scrunched with pain.  
  
"I need to roll you over to see your back," Neil explained.   
  
Grasping her gently, one hand on her shoulders and the other on her hip, Neil rolled Christy onto her stomach and moved the blanket so her could see her back more clearly. Frowning he saw that several of the stitches had been pulled and she was bleeding again.  
  
"Lass, several of the stitches have been pulled out, I'm going to need to re-sew them. Lie still, I'll get Alice and we'll take care of it right away."  
  
"Okay," she whispered, focused on trying to deal with the burning pain that she felt on her back, at though someone had taken a hot knife and laid it on her skin.   
  
She felt the bed shift as Neil stood, heard his boots crossing the floor. Opening her eyes for a moment she saw Teddy standing there, tears staining his cheeks as he clutched his blanket.   
  
"Oh, honey, come here," she said, trying to reach him with as little movement as possible.  
  
Teddy inched closer but he refused to let her touch him.  
  
"TeddyBear don't cry," she soothed, pushing the pain to the back of her mind. "I'm going to be just fine, you'll see. You're Daddy's going to fix me all up so I'm good as new."  
  
"Papa fix Mama?"  
  
In too much pain to correct him Christy simply smiled at him. "Yes Teddy, Papa fix Mama."  
  
Somewhat soothed he inched closer and rested his head on the bed next to Christy but refused to climb back into the bed with her. Lying there in silence Christy was trying so hard to keep from crying out in pain that she didn't realize Neil had returned until he moved Teddy over to wait with Rebecca, the young one too young to witness a surgery.  
  
Sitting down in the chair next to the bed he looked down at her face and Neil could see the strain in the paleness of her skin, the sheen of perspiration on her forehead. Frowning he realized she was in more pain than she was letting on.  
  
"Lass I'm going to give you some ether, it will put you to sleep so you don't feel anymore pain, all right?"  
  
"Okay."   
  
Her voice was so small he barely heard it at all. Moving quickly Neil sterilized his equipment in a pot of boiling water Rebecca had brought up with her and, placing a cloth over Christy's nose and mouth, waited for her to fall into a drug induced sleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
"...And then you had to be the brave one and go pull off her wig!"  
  
Lying on her side again Christy struggled to keep from laughing at Rebecca's story from their childhood days. "Please, Becca, please! Don't make me laugh too hard!"  
  
Gasping for breath herself she could only nod until they had both calmed down enough to continue talking. "You were such a wild one," she smiled, finally calm enough to resume her stitchwork.  
  
"You held your own against me too you know," Christy reminded her. "Or did you forget which one of us it was that switched the sugar for the salt when Mother had her tea party that summer?"  
  
Grinning Rebecca ducked her head and focused on her stitchwork. Taking the moment to study her friend Christy noticed that there was something different about her. Her hair was the same style she usually wore, her clothes as well. But she still got the feeling that there was something different.  
  
"So what have you been up to while I've been stuck in this bed?" she smiled.  
  
"Exploring mostly," Rebecca answered. "There's not nearly as much work to do here as there is in Asheville. Yes it's harder work than just cleaning up after your mother and father but for some reason it doesn't seem as arduous."  
  
"I know what you mean."  
  
"Christy when I would get your letter's and sketches of this place I knew it was beautiful, but to actually come here and see it..." Becca shook her head. "I don't know how to describe it."  
  
"I'm glad you like it here."  
  
"Oh I do! David was showing me the place you called God's Fist. It's so beautiful up there. Thankfully we rode up on Prince, what a hike that must be. He also showed me this little place called..."  
  
Listening to Becca talk about her time with David Christy began to realize what the change in her old friend actually was. She'd fallen in love... with David! A smile began to creep over Christy's face until she knew she was grinning like a fool.  
  
Seeing the smile Rebecca stopped her story to ask about it. When Christy refused to say anything she pressed her about it but her old friend still refused to talk. Before she could demand an explanation the door opened and Alice entered. Leaving the two of them to their conversation she slipped out the door and headed down the stairs.  
  
"Miss Alice," Christy smiled. "How was your trip to Low Gap?"  
  
"It went well, though I must confess I was worried about thee while I was gone."  
  
"You've no reason to fear," Christy reassured her. "I have more people watching over me than a bird does feathers! No one will let me move an inch."  
  
Alice smiled, relieved that Christy seemed okay. "I was not worried about thy physical health," she said softly. "I was afraid for thy emotional health." Christy frowned. "Thee was attacked by a bear, has thee had nightmares?"  
  
"Yes," Christy admitted. "But not like I expected. I keep dreaming that I didn't get there in time and I had to watch..." her throat constricted and Christy paused for a moment, the emotional pain so rough it felt physical. "I had to watch Teddy get attacked."  
  
Tears dripped from her eyes as she remembered those awful dreams. She'd woken the sleeping mission a few times with her screams but she could never tell them what she had witnessed, the pain too much to talk about. Neil had sat with her once, her mother another time, but usually it was her father that had sat by her side, calming her down until she had fallen back to sleep.  
  
"I'll be okay eventually, Miss Alice," Christy assured her. "I suppose it will just take time."  
  
Watching Christy for a moment Alice was silent. She couldn't help but wonder why she was taking the attack so well, why she wasn't scared. Alice was tempted to ask but she didn't want to force the issue with the young teacher.  
  
Taking some time to visit, catching up on their time apart Alice knew she had chores to get to and left some time later. As she was leaving Teddy slipped into the room and stood at the edge of the bed for a moment, watching Christy carefully before climbing into the bed with her.  
  
"Well hello Teddy," Christy smiled at him. "Did you have lunch already?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And what have you been up to all day?"  
  
Sitting on the bed with her Teddy told hr about his day, the trip to the barn he had taken with David to see all the animals, helping Rebecca make lunch and then getting to eat it too. He told her about going for a ride on Goldie with Miss Alice to go and see the Spencer's about some honey. Teddy also told her about going outside to play on his own while his Papa had gone to the school to help teach.  
  
Babbling on about his many adventures today Teddy was oblivious to the sudden change in Christy's face. As he was finishing his story the door opened and Neil came in with a bowl of soup for Christy. Setting it on the table he sat down next to the bed and smiled down at the both of them. His smile slipped though when he saw the look on Christy's face. Furrowing his brow he lifted Teddy from the bed and set him on his feet.  
  
"Why don't you go and see if David is going out to the barn again, Teddy?" he said, patting his bottom with a gentle pat in the direction of the door. Waiting until the child had left the room Neil turned to face Christy, to ask what was wrong, but he never got the chance.  
  
"You let him play outside? Alone!" she accused, her eyes wide and furious. "How could you do that, Neil?"  
  
"Christy, calm down!" Neil said, holding out his hands against her accusations. "Lass he was fine, I could see him from the window of the school the entire time."  
  
"No!" she cried. "It takes two seconds for a child to get into trouble and even less for them to get hurt. He could have been dead before you even got to his side, Neil! A snake or some wild animal could have killed him and you never would have..."  
  
"Lass stop it!" Neil cried, grabbing her shoulders as he fell to his knees by her side. Fighting the urge to shake her he stared into her wild eyes. "Just stop it!"  
  
Falling silent Christy stared at Neil and she could see her own fear mirrored in his eyes. Tears began to form in her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm so sorry Neil."  
  
Taking her into his arms, careful of her back, Neil held her while she cried. "I would never let anything happen to Teddy, Christy," he promised her.   
  
"I know," she said softly. "It's just..."  
  
"What, Lass?" he asked when she didn't continue.  
  
"My nightmares," she explained. "I keep having these awful nightmares that I can't get to him! I can't get there in time and I have to watch him get attacked. Oh Neil! I keep seeing it! That big bear towering over his tiny little body. Those claws...!"  
  
A sob tore at Christy's voice and she tightened her hold on his arms, trying to forget the nightmares that had been plaguing her since she had woken up. "They won't stop," she cried.  
  
"I know," Neil said after she had calmed down a bit, his hand gently stroking her hair. "I've been having some nightmares of my own, Lass."  
  
Looking up at him Christy could see the fear that was still haunting him. "Tell me."  
  
"It's not important right now."  
  
"Yes it is, Neil. Please, please don't keep them to yourself. I want to help you."  
  
Sighing Neil described what he sees every time he closes his eyes. "I see you, lying on the ground, the bear ripping your back to shreds. Only this time there's no one else around. No one to shoot the bear, no one to run and get help. I can't move, my feet are buried in a rock and there's no way to get out of it no matter how hard I try. All I can do is watch as you lie there on the ground bleeding to death."  
  
Her own nightmare forgotten for the moment Christy held Neil tightly, her heart swelling when she thought of how much he loved her, and she him. "It's okay now, Neil," she soothed. "You did save my life, I didn't die. I'm still here."  
  
"I know that, Christy, just like you know that Teddy is fine. It just takes time to get over the nightmares. Eventually they'll stop, we both just need to give it time."  
  
Agreeing they sat together on the bed for a little while, Neil telling her about the goings on in the cove while Christy ate her lunch. Leaning against him Christy stared out the window, picturing the people and places he was talking about. As she listened Christy grew restless, listening wasn't enough anymore.  
  
"No."  
  
"What?" she asked looking up at him.   
  
"You're not getting out of this bed."  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"You didn't have to. I could see it in your eyes."  
  
"Neil..."  
  
"No."  
  
"But..."  
  
"No."  
  
"Neil! I've been lying in this bed for almost a month now. Please let me out before I go absolutely crazy. I promise I won't try to do anything. I just need to get out of this bed."  
  
Relenting Neil agreed to let her sit in the main room by the fire so long as she promised not to move from that spot. Giving her solemn promise Christy smiled as Neil brought her a shawl to wrap around her shoulders. She was thankful they had let her wear one of her nightdresses this past week, her back healed enough to be grazed by the soft cloth.   
  
With Neil supporting her every step Christy made it down to the main room of the mission and sat down on the small rocking chair Neil had cushioned for her. Leaning back slowly Christy felt the pressure on her back and was grateful for the cushioning. In her many hours in the bed Christy had discovered that she could lie on her back so long as she made sure not to move. There were even times when the pressure from lying on her back helped with the pain.  
  
"Christy!" Julia exclaimed as she entered the room. "Why are you out of bed?"  
  
"We thought it might be good for her to have a slight change of scenery. After all she has been in that bed for nearly a month," Neil advised.  
  
Glancing up at him Christy shook her head. "I wanted to come and join the rest of the world for a little while mother."  
  
"Oh dear, I wish I had known. I promised Reverend Grantland that I would go with him and Rebecca to see the O'Teales."  
  
"Don't worry about it mother," Christy smiled. "I'll be fine here."  
  
"Of course she will," William smiled as he entered the room behind his wife. "I'll be keeping my daughter company while she's up and about."  
  
"Up," Neil corrected. "But not about."  
  
"I gave you my word didn't I?"  
  
"Just making sure. I need to go back to my cabin for a few things. I think its high time I went home for a bit."  
  
Surprised Christy looked over at him. "You haven't been home in all this time?"  
  
Squatting next to her Neil smiled as he took her hand in his. "Did you really think I was going to leave your side, Lass?"  
  
Kissing her hand softly Neil winked and stood, leaving the room with Julia while William sat down on the chair next to Christy's.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Sitting with her father in the main room of the mission house Christy sighed with sheer joy at being out of the bed. It felt nice to sit up for a change.  
  
"Glad to be out of bed, eh Girlie?"  
  
"Oh yes," she smiled.   
  
"I feel as though I haven't had much time at all to spend with you. Between helping out at the school and watching you sleep we haven't really talked much at all."  
  
"I know, Daddy. I wanted to say thank you, for everything. You've been such a help these last few weeks. I know you didn't come here to teach the children but I truly appreciate it. I'd have hated to have had to cancel the school, the children love coming so much."  
  
"So I see. I've never seen such a group of students so eager to learn. So very different from you when you were younger."  
  
Christy laughed. "I hated going to school when there were always so much more interesting things to do."  
  
"And to think, now you teach."  
  
Smiling she shrugged her shoulders lightly. "What can I say, I guess I grew up."  
  
"That you did, sweetheart, that you did."  
  
Looking over at her father Christy could see that he was preoccupied by something. One hand was draped across his stomach while the other was absently stroking his beard. "Daddy? Is something bothering you?"  
  
"Not bothering me, no," he replied cryptically. "I was just thinking about how much you've changed since you came to live here in Cutter Gap."  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"You've really grown up, darling. I think back to they person you were before, so innocent, eyes wide open and ready to see the world. You knew what you wanted but you were content to take what you were given back then."   
  
"There was this one time when you were eyeing a doll in the window, I think you were about ten years old, maybe eleven. You wanted that doll so much but when your mother went to buy it they were sold out. She bought you one that was similar but still very different. When you unwrapped that doll I could see the disappointment in your eyes but you smiled and kissed your mother's cheek, thanking her for the doll, telling her that it was just what you wanted."  
  
"Then there was the time, a few years later, when you had your heart set on getting a book from the bookstore that was across town. You were all set to go, you had your coat and hat on, boots laced up tightly and money in your pocket. Then you mother asked you to stay home with your brother since he was sick and she had an appointment to get to. You'd been waiting so long for this book but all you did was unbutton your coat and put it back in the closet."  
  
"Daddy, I was just being nice that's all."  
  
"True, but what about the time you got into that argument with your teacher about the grade she had given you on a paper you had spent all week on. You knew the paper deserved a better grade, so did I, but you refused to argue the point any longer with her."  
  
"I'd forgotten all about that."  
  
"Back then you never used too put up much of a fight for something you wanted but now... I've seen a big difference in you honey." William smiled at his daughter. "Especially when you deal with the children. You have so much love to give. The children are always telling me about all the things you've done for them. Finding ways to get the supplies they need, the books, the shoes, the work you've done is amazing."  
  
Smiling, a small blush creeping up her cheeks, Christy reached out for her father's hand. "Thank you Daddy."  
  
"No, Girlie," he smiled softly. "Thank you for making me such a proud father."  
  
Watching her father for a moment Christy spoke up. "Was that all that was bothering you?"  
  
William laughed. "You would have made a good lawyer, Girlie. You always seem to know when I'm not telling all of the truth."  
  
Shifting in his seat William looked over to Christy and examined his daughter briefly. Her skin was pale, she'd lost quite a bit of weight, and her body sat in the chair as stiffly as a board. Yet even through all of that he could see something that was sparkling in her eyes, the same thing he'd seen in Julia's many times before.  
  
"Tell me about Teddy."  
  
"What do you want to know?"  
  
"Anything."  
  
Confused Christy tilted her head to the one side and began with the first thing that popped into her head. "He carries my old blanket with him when he's tired. I wasn't sure if he was going to like it or not but he really does. And he' sucks his thumb just like George, with his one finger hooked over his nose. You remember how George used to do that?"  
  
William nodded, smiling at the memory of his son's childhood habit.  
  
"The first time I met him was here at the mission. Neil and I had just come back from Lover's Falls and there was a man standing on the porch. Neil started talking to him but all I could do was stare at this little boy that was sitting on the porch next to him. He had the biggest brown eyes I'd ever seen. I lost my heart to him right then and there."  
  
Suddenly Christy laughed, her mind caught up in her memory's.   
  
"There was one time, I guess it was about a week before the attack, when I realized Teddy needed a haircut. His hair was so thick and wild it was becoming unmanageable. So Neil and I sat him down on the table after giving him a bath and Neil held him while I cut his hair. You'd have thought I was trying to cut of his arms! Teddy started screaming and crying, he was trying so hard to get away. It was a goof thing Neil was holding him or he probably would have gotten away!"  
  
Laughing at the thought William chuckled along with her.  
  
"Of course there was also the time when he decided he was going to help me make dinner here at the mission. Neil had to go to El Pano, Mrs. Conly had fallen and broken her leg, so Teddy came to the mission to stay with Miss Alice and I. We were making dinner and he wanted to help so I told him to wash the dirt off the potatoes so I could cut them up. When I looked down a few minutes later his shirt was absolutely soaked and the filthiest thing I'd ever seen. I watched him for a minute and he was dunking the potatoes in the bucket of water before wiping them dry on his shirt!"  
  
Laughing together William waited until they had both calmed down a little to ask Christy one more question. "How long has he been calling you Mama?"  
  
Sobering Christy tried to think back to when it had begun. "I'm not sure really. The first time I'd heard it was when I woke up after the attack. Neil told me that is had started while I was unconscious." Thinking for a moment Christy looked at her father. "I know that Teddy isn't my son but I love him. I'm not sure if it's right for him to call me his mother but every time he does it I get this feeling in my chest. It's as though... it feels like my heart is just going to explode."  
  
"You love them."  
  
Christy smiled at his choice of words. "Yes, Daddy. I love them both."  
  
"Does Neil love you?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then why hasn't he begun to court you?"  
  
Looking down at her hands as they were clasped in her lap Christy's face lost all of its joy. "Because of Margaret."  
  
"His dead wife? What's she got to do with it?"  
  
"Oh dear," Christ sighed, unsure of how to tell her father what had happened. "Daddy, Margaret isn't dead."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
Choosing her words carefully Christy explained the many events that had transpired since she had come to the cove. She told him of Margaret's supposed death, her first appearance back to the cove and the second time as well. And she told him about her latest visit.  
  
"Neil says he wants nothing to do with her and I know he doesn't. But they are still legally married and that means that we can not go any farther right now."  
  
"So you're going to wait for her to die?"  
  
Christy winced at his bluntness. "Would you rather I didn't?" she asked with equal candor.  
  
"Sweetheart you're too young to pine away for a man who's not in the position to marry right now."  
  
"I'm not pining Daddy. I'm waiting."  
  
"There's no difference."  
  
"Yes there is, there's a big one. Neil loves me as much as I love him. I don't want anyone else. No matter how long it takes Daddy I'm going to wait."  
  
"Christy..."  
  
"Can you imagine ever loving someone other than mother?"  
  
William was silent as he considered her question. "No."  
  
"Then you know exactly how I feel about Neil. 'Love never fails' Daddy."  
  
Sitting in his seat, staring at the fire, William thought over everything Christy had told him. He knew his daughter well enough to know when her mind was made up about something but it still bothered him that she was going to wait. Who knew how long it would be until this woman died, as morbid a thought as it was. But if she truly loved him...?  
  
"Are you sure, Girlie?"  
  
"I'm sure, Daddy."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
Climbing the stairs to his cabin Neil opened the door and stopped dead in his tracks, staring at the scene before him. The inside of his cabin looked as though a windstorm had come through, tearing the place apart. Realizing who had done this Neil cursed the woman who had ruined his life and began to pick up the mess Margaret had left for him.  
  
Down on his knees he was picking up a shirt from under the table when he saw a familiar looking bag sitting under the table. Picking it up her realized it was Christy's bag. As he was getting to his feet the flap fell open and a large pad fell out. Recognizing it as her sketchpad Neil opened the cover and smiled at the sight of Teddy's grinning face. As he flipped through the sketches Neil recognized many different places and people but there were two that caught his attention.  
  
The first was one of Teddy and himself; the both of them sound asleep on the couch at the mission. Teddy was snuggled in close to his side, blanket in hand and thumb in mouth. Neil had his head propped on one of his hands, eyes closed, sound asleep. He remembered that night, he'd just gotten back from El Pano after working through the night and he'd been exhausted.  
  
The second picture was just of him. Sitting at the desk in his lab Neil was studying a medical journal, one hand turning the page, the other twisting a strand on hair between his fingers. She'd captured the background perfectly; he could pick out everything in his lab that was there. Christy had even managed to catch the details of the book, the diagram of a heart that he had been studying on the page.  
  
Thinking back to when he had been reading that book Neil wondered when she had shown up. He didn't remember seeing her at all that day. Curious Neil stared at the picture as he walked into his lab. Setting the sketchpad up on a shelf he knew it was something he had to keep. He'd buy her another one next time he was in El Pano.  
  
Looking around his lab Neil could see that there was a medicine bottle missing and he realized Margaret must have taken it. Sitting down on his chair for a moment he thought about the choices that were staring him in the face. He had to do something. Making up his mind Neil looked through his records until he found the piece of paper he was looking for.  
  
He had a call to make.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
She was lying on her side, almost asleep, when she heard the door open, the swishing of a skirt as someone entered the room.   
  
"Christy?" she heard whispered. "Are you asleep?"  
  
Before she could answer she heard another voice calling out. "Becky?"  
  
"David, what are you doing here?"  
  
"I wanted to see if you'd talked to her yet."  
  
"No, not yet, she's asleep and I don't want to wake her."  
  
"Oh," he whispered back. "Maybe later then."  
  
"I guess so."  
  
"You don't want to?"  
  
"No! I mean yes, of course I want to. It's just... I feel rather strange about it that's all. What if she still...?"  
  
"She doesn't, trust me on that one. Christy is in love with the Doctor."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Aren't you? You've seen them together, it's very obvious how much they are in love." There was a slight pause. "Just like us."  
  
"Just like us," Rebecca repeated. "We should leave, she needs to sleep."  
  
Knowing she shouldn't be listening in, but unable to stop, Christy heard their conversation and a small smile grew on her face. David and Rebecca? There couldn't have been a better match. Christy thought back over the years she and Rebecca had spent together growing up. It had always been her dream to marry and have a family but she'd never found anyone who she could fall in love with.  
  
Until now.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on the edge of the bed Christy slipped her arms into the shirt Alice was holding up for her and waited while Alice shifted it over her head to fall down into place. It was a shirt that the Fairlight had made for her, a simple design that was meant to be loose so it wouldn't touch her back. The quilting circle had come together to make it for her and their gift touched Christy's heart deeply.  
  
"I'll be glad when I can dress myself again," she sighed.   
  
"Thee will be able too soon," Alice told her. "Thy back is healing very well. So long as thee does thy stretched Neil has told thee to do thee should be well again in no time."  
  
"I know," she said. "I'm doing them it just feels like they're not doing anything."  
  
"But they are, darling," Julia said as she knelt to slip Christy's shoes onto her feet. "We all heard the Doctor's explanation of what the stretching does for you. It slowly works your muscles so that your back won't hurt and will get back to the way it is supposed to be."  
  
"Well I still feel helpless. But at least I get to go to the school today."  
  
"Well there is a sentence I never thought I'd live to hear," Julia teased, glad that Christy's spirits were beginning to lift. "My daughter actually wanting to go to school."  
  
Grinning at her mother Christy stood up from the bed and carefully straightened her back. There had been some remarkable improvements in the last week or two, which she was all too well aware of. It no longer hurt to stand up or sit down and she could walk freely. As small as it was progress was still progress.  
  
As she entered the school she saw that all the children were listening with rapt attention to the man standing at the front of the classroom. Sitting down in a chair by the doorway Christy listened in on his lesson.  
  
"... so when you take the red juice from the berry and mix it with the blue juice from the other berry what color will you get?"  
  
Hands raised in the air several of the children were clamoring to give the answer. Raising her own hand Christy met Neil's gaze and smiled. Pointing to her he called out, "You, there in the back."  
  
"You'd get a beautiful shade of purple."  
  
The children turned to look and an excited air filled the schoolroom when they saw her sitting in the back of the school. Some of the children tried to get out of their chairs but a shrill whistle from Neil kept them in their seats. Standing Christy moved to the front of the classroom and turned around to face her class. She could see the smiles and grins of all her children waiting for her to speak, happy beyond words that she had finally come back to the school.  
  
"Good morning children," she smiled at them.  
  
"Good morning, Teacher!"  
  
"What have you been up to all morning?"  
  
"We've been learning about the colors and how we can make them from things in nature," Neil answered for her.  
  
"Then Doc Neil said he was goin' ta let us paint on some o'that fancy paper he bought in El Pano!" Burl announced, excited about the painting that was too come.  
  
"So why don't we begin. You all know how to make your colors. Everyone come on up here and get what you need and you can take them back to your desks to pound the berries for their juice."  
  
The children swarmed to the front of the school, some reaching for the berries and leaves, others reaching for their teacher. Greeting all of them one by one Christy breathed a sigh of relief when they had all gone back to their desks, some of them had hugged her a little too hard.   
  
"Lass?" Neil said softly, touching her sleeve with concern.   
  
"I'm fine. Some of them hugged me a little too hard," she whispered to him as they moved toward the desk.   
  
Pulling out a chair for her to sit in Neil pulled another one close and sat down next to her. "Are you okay?"  
  
Christy nodded. "I'll be fine. I don't want them to know about it so please don't do anything. I just need a minute for it to stop hurting."  
  
"All right but I want to examine you later."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Watching them work for a moment Christy had to smile. There had been many changes made to her school. New pictures and projects hung from the walls, there was evidence of the older students lessons on the chalkboard, written in writing Christy recognized as her father's. The younger students had been busy copying letters onto paper; those papers scattered all over the desk.  
  
"It looks like they've really been keeping busy," Christy said softly, not wanting to disturb the concentration in the classroom.  
  
"Aye," Neil grinned. "Between your father, Grantland, and myself they've been getting a rather diverse education, though I'm afraid it might not be quite according to your schedule."  
  
"Any schooling is better than none."  
  
"Spoken like a true teacher."  
  
Watching the children for a few moments Christy was surprised when she felt Neil slip his hand into hers, his thumb gently caressing her knuckles. Glancing up at him he saw that his eyes were keenly watching the children work, it was as though he was unaware of what his hand was doing. Despite being in the school Christy found that she was so focused on the feeling of her hand swallowed by his that she forgot the rest of the schoolroom seemed to disappear.  
  
But the world came back with a vengeance, as one thought intruded on her bliss.  
  
"Neil," she whispered. "Where's Margaret?"  
  
For a split second his hand stilled but resumed just as quickly. Looking down at her Neil studied the sweet face turned up to look at him. "I don't know," he whispered back, neither one of them wanting the children to hear their discussion. "When I finally got back to the cabin she was gone."  
  
"But where did she go?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"What are we going to do?"  
  
Neil sighed. "I don't know."  
  
Though it broke her heart Christy slowly removed her hand from Neils. "Neil, I can't... not like this."  
  
"All right," he whispered. He could feel an ache in his chest at the sight of her withdrawing from him but Neil knew better than to try and press the situation. "Teddy is probably bother Rebecca," he said, offering her a way out of the situation that was making her uncomfortable.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Neil, it's just..."  
  
Neil gently touched her hand to stop her. "You don't need to explain, Christy. I already understand."  
  
"But it's not fair to you."  
  
"It's not fair to either of us, Christy."  
  
Watching her leave Neil found himself cursing the woman whom was plaguing his life even in her absence.  
  
Crossing the mission yard Christy was about to climb the stairs when she saw that Teddy was contentedly playing with her father near the footbridge. Leaving them alone she headed out to the woods, her heart heavy in her chest and her eyes stinging with unshed tears. Not seeing where she was going, only walking, Christy was to see herself suddenly standing at the foot of the stairs to Neil's cabin. Not knowing why, well aware she should turn around and head back to the mission, Christy climbed the stairs and entered the cabin.  
  
All around her she could see the cabin she had come to know very well. She knew every nook from having to chase Teddy around the room to get him to take a bath. The smell of tobacco smoke and lye was as familiar to her as the rose powder and cigar smoke from her childhood days. Sitting down in the chair by the fire she smiled when she saw that Neil had left it cold, knowing he wasn't going to be spending much time here while she still needed him.  
  
Leaning back in the large chair she stared at the door of the lab, her mind dwelling on the man who worked within it's confines, never realizing the tears that were coursing down her cheeks were there. Not realizing how tired she was from the emotional and physical turmoil she was trying to deal with Christy's eyes slowly fell shut, the young teacher falling fast asleep.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
Standing in the doorway to the cabin she stared at the sleeping woman with a scowl. She had ruined the life that belonged to her. With her perky attitude and smiling eyes she had taken the cove by storm, sweeping both her husband and her mother along with her.   
  
Scowling, Margaret knew she was going to get even with the young teacher no matter how many people she had to hurt to do so.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Neil could feel his heart pounding in his chest. He felt all the same fear and desperation as he had felt that awful day over a month ago. For nearly three hours now they had been searching the cove, trying to find her. No one had seen Christy since she had left the school. She hadn't returned to the mission, she hadn't been seen by anyone.  
  
Julia was nearly hysterical with worry for her daughter and William had to practically be restrained form leaving the mission to look for her. With the two Huddleston parents guarding Teddy at the mission while the rest of them, Alice, David, Rebecca, and RubyMae, went off to search the cove, gathering help as they went.   
  
Neil had been racing through the woods trying to check the different places he knew she liked to go when he wondered if she would have been crazy enough to go to Lovers Falls. Turning Charlie towards the small valley he pulled up to it's edge and dismounted from his old friend's back. Walking towards the edge he suddenly stopped, his feet unable to move another inch.  
  
He was terrified.   
  
His nightmare of seeing her there again, seeing the blood that was soaking the ground, was playing out in his mind. Though his heart was racing in his chest it beat ice through his veins at the thought of what he would see on the floor of the valley. Closing his eyes for a moment he took a deep breath and pushed his fears to the side, forcing his feet to move.  
  
Opening his eyes Neil lowered his gaze to the floor of the falls and he swayed with sheer relief. She wasn't there. His relief was short lived when he realized that he still didn't know where she was. As he was stalking back to Charlie a thought came to Neil and he wondered if it was possible that she had gone to his cabin. She knew he had been occupied at the school, Teddy had been in good hands, and she'd been free to go where she pleased.   
  
Spurring Charlie in the direction of his cabin Neil pushed the mount faster and faster until the trees were whipping by like the view from a train window. As the cabin loomed into view he urged Charlie to give all that he had and, as though he sensed the urgency of what was happening, Charlie gave it all he had in him.  
  
Dropping to the ground the moment Charlie stopped Neil ran up the stairs to the cabin and threw open the front door. There, sound asleep by the cold fireplace, was Christy, curled up in the chair to block the cold chill that filled the cabin.  
  
Startled out of her sleep by the slamming of the door against the wall Christy jumped up from the chair, wincing at the sudden movement on her back. Looking toward the door she saw Neil standing there, staring at her as though he hadn't seen her in years. His eyes were wild, his chest heaving with exertion, hair in complete disarray. Christy watched as he crossed the floor to her, dropping to his knees and wrapping his arms around her middle.  
  
"Lass," he cried hoarsely, his voice thick with the emotion that filled his heart. "You've scared the life right out of me."  
  
Her arms automatically circled his shoulders as she tried to think of what she could have done to make him so scared. "Neil, I don't understand," she said after a moment.  
  
"Lass you've got the entire cove searching for you!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
Getting to his feet Neil held her face between his hands and fought the urge to shake her for such a stupid question. "Why? Because it's been nearly four hours since anyone has seen you and with everything that has happened lately we were worried sick!"  
  
"Four hours!" Christy was astonished. "I only meant to go for a walk."  
  
"But you're all right?" Neil confirmed, remembering the slight wince as she had stood up. "Is your back hurting you?"  
  
"Yes, Neil, I'm fine," she assured him. "I just stood up to fast, that's all."  
  
"What are you doing here?"  
  
"I'm not sure," she shrugged, turning to get her shawl from the chair where it had dropped. "I was just out walking and I ended up here."  
  
Neil looked as though he wanted to speak but Christy cut him off.  
  
"I'm sure my parents are nearly sick with worry. I should be getting back to the mission."  
  
Her arms wrapping the shawl around her shoulders a little tighter as she headed towards the door Christy couldn't meet Neil's eyes, the memories of their conversation in the school coming back to her. Neil could feel her withdrawing from him and it hurt.  
  
"I'll take you back."  
  
They walked in silence for some time, each one lost in their own thoughts, Christy trying to fight back the feeling of hopelessness that was filling her heart and Neil trying to figure out how to get her talking to him again. It wasn't until they were almost at the mission that he finally decided on what to say.  
  
"Christy," he began. "Have I done something to bother you?"  
  
"No," she replied softly, her voice flat. "It's nothing that either of us has or hasn't done, Neil."  
  
"Then what is bothering you? I can't stand seeing you so down, Lass, please let me try and help."  
  
Stopping Christy looked away for a moment. When she finally brought her gaze up to his Neil could see a tear resting on her lashes. She stared at him for several seconds, her eyes searching for something.  
  
"Neil, I told you that I love you and that will never change. But right now, being with you is more than I can handle." Neil felt as though he'd been kicked in the chest. "Please try to understand. It hurts too much too see you every day and know that..."  
  
Breaking off Christy knew she was quickly losing control over her emotions. Reaching up she gently kissed his cheek before running for the mission, needing to get away before it was too late. Pausing before she entered the mission she wiped away the tears and splashed a bit of water from the pump onto her face to clear away any signs of the salty sadness.  
  
"Christy!" Rebecca exclaimed when she saw the young woman enter the mission house. Breaking away from the small group of people that had gathered she hurried to her friend's side and hugged her close. "We were so worried!"  
  
"Indeed!" Julia exclaimed, hurrying to her daughter's side. "You should have known better than that. Especially after everything that's happened to you."  
  
"I'm sorry mother," Christy said, trying to calm her mother down. "I'm fine. I just fell asleep that's all."  
  
"I don't know how you could even have gone out into the woods alone like that!" Julia proclaimed, her initial fear beginning to turn to scolding her daughter. "You could have been attacked again."  
  
"Mother I can't go around living my life in fear that I'll be attacked again. The cove is my home and I'll not let one bad thing ruin it."  
  
"Well regardless of anything I'm glad you're well and safely back home," her father interrupted, knowing Julia was still in a scolding mood. She would be until she had a chance to work out the fear of her daughter's disappearance. "Come Julia, it's time for our walk."  
  
Taking his wife by the arm William kissed his daughter's temple as he passed. Smiling at her father in appreciation Christy turned to face Alice. "I'm sorry," she said softly. "I didn't mean to cause any problems."  
  
"Thee are well?" Christy nodded. "Then that is all I need to know."  
  
Hugging Christy for a moment Alice sent up a silent prayer of thanks that the young woman was safe.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on the bed facing each other Rebecca and Christy giggled with their hands over their mouths like two little girls of so long ago. Having snuck into Christy's bedroom one more than one occasion as children Rebecca was able to tell when her friend was sleeping and when she was just lying there. They'd shared the events of their day as well as reminisced about the old times for nearly an hour before Christy'd had enough.  
  
"So are you going to tell me or do I have to keep pretending like I don't know?"  
  
"How did you know?" Rebecca asked, shocked at having been found out. Christy told her about the time that they had thought she was sleeping. "Shame on you!" she teased. "Listening in on a private conversation like that. Why I ought to not tell you a thing!"  
  
"Okay," Christy agreed, shrugging her shoulders. She knew only too well that Rebecca was dying to share the details with her.  
  
"Oh all right," she grinned. "You know I can't keep this to myself anymore."  
  
"So...?"  
  
"Well I guess it began when he met us at the train station. He seemed so concerned about you and he was so polite and courteous. And strong! He lifted your mother's trunk all by his self. But he was so worried about you that I thought he must be the one you'd chosen. Then, on the morning you woke up, he was helping me with the dishes when Miss Henderson came to tell us that you had woken up. I told him that I knew God wouldn't let me down and that was when we started to really talk."  
  
"Oh Christy, it's so easy for me to talk to David. We have so much in common and so many things we feel the same way about. He wants to get married and stay here in the cove for a few years but then we'll be going back to Boston to raise a family. He's been offered a pulpit there; it's the same church he went to as a child."  
  
"Christy," she said, inching a little closer to grab her friend's hand. "Does it bother you? I know that there was a time when he fancied you and I thought you did him too."  
  
"I admit there was a small time when I did fancy him, Becca. But I was never in love. I think of David like a brother who is very dear to me. And to see the two of you married would make me so happy."  
  
"Oh I'm so glad! We were worried what with you and the doctor... I mean... well it's just that..."  
  
"It's okay, Becca," Christy said with a small smile. "Just because things aren't going well for me doesn't mean they don't have to go well for you. I love you, you're one of my most dearest friends and all I want is for you to be happy."  
  
"Oh thank you!" she whispered, hugging Christy close. "We wanted to be married before your parents left next week, will you stand up with me? It would mean so much to me!"  
  
Assuring her that she would stand up with her friend Christy watched as Rebecca hurried off, too excited to wait until morning to tell David. Shaking her head she laughed at her friend and settled down into her bed to get some sleep. But as she began to drift off Christy couldn't help but wonder if there would ever be a time when she too would get married to the man she loved.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
Standing at the top of the stairs Christy heard Jeb's fiddle begin and she began her walk to the gazebo. She could see the entire cove gathered before her, their faces filled with smiles and romantic thoughts. The young girls were glassy eyed with their own dreams and the boys fidgeted, wondering which one was dreaming about them, while husbands and wives remembered their own weddings. Smiling back at them Christy took her place at the head of the aisle and turned back to see Rebecca, on William's arm, heading down the aisle behind her.  
  
The young woman was beautiful in the wedding dress her mother had sent for her, wishing she could have been there herself to see her daughter marry the preacher man. Stopping at the head of the aisle William gave her a fatherly smile and transferred the young woman to David's waiting hands before taking his place next to Julia.  
  
All eyes turned to Alice as she began the ceremony, reading from the bible the virtues of love and the qualities of a capable husband and wife. Try as she may though Christy couldn't focus on the wedding, her mind drifting back to the man standing at the back of the crowd, standing out from the rest in his dark suit and crisp white shirt.  
  
Her heart fluttered at the thought of how handsome Neil was even as it wept for the knowledge that they could not be together.   
  
Before she knew what was happening the wedding was over. She looked to see David lean down to kiss Rebecca, their hands as joined as their hearts. Smiling for them Christy opened her arms to hug her old friend when she turned to gather her bouquet of wildflowers they had picked together that morning and tied up with a ribbon. Her own bouquet in her hands Christy followed David and Rebecca back down the aisle and was almost to the end when she felt something tugging at her skirt. Looking down she saw Teddy reaching up for her.  
  
"I've missed you sweetheart," she smiled when she picked him up into her arms. Kissing his cheek she was swept along with the crowd, everyone eager to get on with the celebration. "What have you been doing lately TeddyBear?"  
  
Finding a seat on the stairs of the porch Christy listened as Teddy told her all about his time with the Spencer's and the Allen's, playing with the other children in the cove and quickly forming new friendships with the ones his own age. She was so intent on listening to him that she didn't realize that dinner had been served, everyone already eating, until a plate was set down next to her and a roll handed to Teddy. Looking up she saw Neil towering over her for a moment.  
  
"May I join you?" he asked.  
  
"Yes please," Christy said. "I was hoping I could talk to you."  
  
"I wanted to talk to you as well but perhaps we should save that conversation for a less crowded moment," he smiled, looking around at the crowd of people surrounding the area.  
  
"Of course," she smiled back, knowing all to well this was not a matter she wanted to share with the cove just yet. "To be honest it feels as though I haven't talked to you in forever," Christy admitted.  
  
Neil felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from his chest. He hadn't seen her since the day she had fallen asleep in his cabin. When he had heard her asking him to leave her alone, that his presence was hurting her, his heart had nearly broken in two. But as he had walked home that night Neil had come to realize that she wasn't saying she didn't ever want to see him, she had been telling him how much she wanted to be with him. She loved him so much that it hurt to not be able to be with him.  
  
"I know how you feel," he replied. "We've both missed you."  
  
Having finished his roll Teddy was reaching for the piece of meat Christy had picked up from the plate. Grinning she let him have the small piece and grabbed another one for herself. Neil watched as she played with him, waving his food all through the air before bringing it to his laughing mouth. Giggling at her antics Teddy was enjoying his time with his 'mother' until he was full and felt the urge to go exploring on his own.  
  
"You stay where all the people are, do you understand me Teddy MacNeill?" she ordered as she set him on his feet.  
  
Nodding the little boy scampered off to find his friends, leaving his parents behind to talk. Neil was about to suggest that they go somewhere a little less crowded when Fairlight and Opal came over to steal Christy away for a little bit. Having no choice but to let her go Neil watched as she was pulled away toward the kitchen.  
  
Alone in the mission kitchen the three friends were cutting up some pies to be served, chatting about how beautiful the wedding had been, when Opal looked at Fairlight and she back at Opal. Nodding to each other they both looked at Christy.  
  
"Miz Christy," Opal said as she began to cut into a persimmon pie. "We's be real glad yer back up an 'bout after that bear 'tack. We was all a'fearin' fer ya somethin' feirce."  
  
"Thank you Opal," Christy said with a smile, glancing up from her pie. "I'm feeling much better now."  
  
"Bet yer glad ta see Teddy safe too," Fairlight chimed in.  
  
"Yes. I have never been so scared as I was at that moment," she admitted. "But he's okay and I'm getting better and soon everything will be all right."  
  
"Christy, while ya was healin' up Teddy did some stayin' out at our place," Fairlight said softly. "Kept on wakin' up at night callin' fer his Ma. At first I was a'thinkin' he was looking fer his dead Ma but when he started getting' closer to the mission he would start kickin ta git down and run to ya. The boy thinks yer his Ma."  
  
Pausing in her cutting Christy looked up at Fairlight to see her watching her closely. "That's right Fairlight, he does."  
  
Examining Christy for a moment Fairlight could see that the young woman had made her mind, and heart, up about the matter. Teddy was hers; she loved him and would do anything for the boy, that much they had all seen.   
  
"So when will you and Neil be making it a real family?" Fairlight teased.  
  
Christy tried to smile but she failed. "That is something we still need to talk about," she said. "Excuse me."  
  
Putting the knife down Christy left the kitchen, Opal and Fairlight watching her with curious glances, and found Neil still sitting on the porch stairs. Looking at each other he stood and together they moved to the school, shutting the door to give themselves some privacy from the rest of the crowd milling in the yard and the mission. Motioning for Christy to sit own at one of the desks he slid in next to her and took her hand in his.  
  
"I've got so many things that I want to say but no idea where to begin."  
  
Pulling his hand into her lap Christy grasped it tightly and laid her head on his shoulder. "I know."  
  
Turning his head Neil gently kissed the top of her head and sighed.  
  
"We both know that she's still out there somewhere," he began. "I have a friend of mine from Philadelphia looking for her. Lass, I know that it's not something people approve of but I've talked to the courts about getting a divorce from Margaret. There are more than enough legal grounds for it, by both the secular law and the biblical one. You try to live by what the bible says Christy and while I know it doesn't approve of divorce I did some research into it and found that there are grounds for divorce if there has been adultery in the marriage."  
  
"You did research on the bible?" Christy asked, surprised.  
  
"Well, Grantland helped," he admitted. "Since he found Rebecca the man has become a little easier to stomach."  
  
Despite herself Christy smiled. "That's just because you don't have to worry about him trying to steal me away anymore."  
  
"True," he grinned. Their mood lifted for a moment but Neil knew they had to finish taking about the unpleasantness of Margaret. "Lass, could you love a man who's divorced his wife?"  
  
"Neil," she said after a moment. "I love you for who you are right now and as much as it pains me to admit it Margaret played a part in making you the man you are now. She hurt you and Alice and, I'm sure, many other people who've come into her life. You deserve so much more than she ever gave you. I know you don't believe in the bible and God but you knew how much it means to me so you did research to make sure I would be okay with your decision to divorce Margaret. Neil, I love you and whatever it will take to give us our chance I will do."  
  
"I don't know how long it will take to get everything in order," he advised.  
  
"I'll wait."  
  
Closing his eyes Neil wrapped one arm around Christy and held her close for a moment, his heart swelling with love for the woman sitting with him. His other hand reached into his pocket to pull out a small item, brushing it gently against his leg till it shone.  
  
"Christy, I know that things still need to be worked out but I wanted you to have something. This has been passed down in my family from one woman to the next for more generations than I can count. My mother left it to me when she died to give to my wife. I suppose I should have given it to Margaret but it never felt right to do so."  
  
Picking up her hand Neil laid the ring in her palm and watched as she picked it up between her fingers. "Neil it's beautiful!" she exclaimed as she examined the ring.  
  
It was made of engraved silver polished but antiqued with age so that it was black in the grooves, the silver and black a perfect contrast against each other. The stone set in its setting was a brilliant blue sapphire, wording carefully etched all around the stone.   
  
"Neil what does it say?"  
  
"It means 'Love Never Fails'. When I was a little boy my mother would always tell me the story of the beginning of out family many generations ago as she tucked me into bed. A man and woman had fallen in love from another clan but before they could get married her father learned about it and took her far away from him. For years he searched for her until he finally found out she had been forced into a marriage with one of the warriors from a neighboring clan. My ancestor fought and killed the man so that he could be reunited with the woman he loved. They married and began my family line."  
  
"Love never fails," Christy smiled as she slipped the ring onto her finger.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
The End 


	2. Chapter Two A Woman's Love

Title: A Woman's Love  
  
Author: Lady S  
  
Disclaimer: Catherine Marshall's beautiful story of Christy is owned by the Marshall-LeSourd Family, L.L.C. We are in no way seeking profit or credit for her story. We are continuing the story of Christy for our own amusement only. Any additions in story line and characters were invented by the writers of the alt.tv.christy Round Robin and the Christy Mailing List. The content of each story is the responsibility of the individual writer. The fanfic here is being posted as a service to the Christy mailing list, Pax Christy Forum and Alt.tv.christy News Group.  
  
Summary: A woman's love for her man is put to the test.  
  
Author's notes: This is the Second story in the Love Trilogy. Enjoy!  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter One  
  
His entire body ached with exhaustion. It had been nearly a week since he had left the cove to hurry over to Cataleechie. There had been an outbreak of a fever in a small group of families that had ravaged through them like fire in a dry forest. Six people total had died three of them children. One family had lost both the mother and the father, the children being taken in by relatives a little ways away once they were completely healed.  
  
Thinking of how nice it would be to get home and simply fall into bed Neil wondered if he would be coming home to a warm cabin or a cold one. Christy was watching Teddy, as she usually did, and there had been a few times when he had returned from the medical call to find the fire lit, dinner ready, the cabin warm and inviting. It was those times that he slipped into his dreams; his own imagination that Margaret was out of the picture and Christy was finally his wife.  
  
It was a dream that sent him crashing back down to reality when she left at the end of the visit.  
  
Christy.  
  
The thought of her made Neil smile in spite of his exhaustion. He thought back to the last time he had seen her, standing on the mission porch, Teddy in her arms, the both of them waving goodbye as he rode away from the Grantland's wedding. She was such a beautiful woman, her blue eyes sparkled when she laughed, burned a deep midnight blue when she was angry, and turned into shimmering crystals when she was sad.  
  
His thoughts turned back to their time alone in the schoolhouse and he was annoyed all over again. They'd finally managed to steal some time for just themselves, Christy had finally opened up to him again, and Neil had finally given her the ring. He'd been leaning over, all set to kiss the bloomers off the young teacher, when the door had been slammed open and one of the children had run in calling for him to come.   
  
That had been a week ago.  
  
Now, riding through the woods, all he wanted was to get home and see the ones he loved. Just as he was passing through a small clearing Neil heard the crack of a rifle and instantly a blinding pain seared through his head. Doubling over in pain, his vision blurred, Neil could feel a wet stickiness running down his face. Reaching up with shaky fingers he winced and drew them away to find them coated with blood.  
  
His head pounding Neil turned Charlie to the mission, hoping the horse could make it without being guided as it was taking everything he had in him to hang onto the saddle. As they climbed the hill he could just make out the vision of the mission before him. Nearing a little closer Neil watched as a small figure on the porch waved to him. He saw their hand pause in mid air for a moment before a look of terror crossed her face.  
  
"Neil!" she cried, running down the stairs to get to his side.   
  
No sooner had she reached Charlie and taken the reins from his hands than Neil felt the last of his strength slip away from him. Falling to the ground he landed on his back and was staring at the sky, wondering why it felt as though the world was closing in on him at the same time it was drifting farther and farther away.   
  
Suddenly Christy's face appeared over his, hovering above him with a worried frown, tears in her eyes. He could feel her hands on his head, wincing in pain. Gasping she put her hand, now red with his blood, over her throat, her eyes wide with fear.  
  
"Neil!" she cried, her voice thick with tears. "Neil, please try to hang on! Just hang on! Please don't leave me!"  
  
Neil tried to tell her he would be okay but he couldn't make his lips move to say the words. He heard her screaming for Alice, her screams drifting off to whispers as the world around him went dark, the words of love he couldn't say echoing in his ears.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Two  
  
Slowly he woke to the world surrounding him. The first thing he knew was the searing pain in his head with every movement. But pushing his way past it he opened his eyes to look around. He was in a room that looked somewhat familiar, but it also looked like every other plain wooden room in every cabin in the cove. But how did he get here? Then again, where was here?  
  
He felt something brush by his arm and looked down to see a woman's head resting on his arm, her eyes closed, sound asleep. She was young but her face was beautiful, soft, kind, and her hair was just as soft, he could feel it brushing against his arm. As he was watching her he saw her begin to shift, her eyes blinking open and raising to meet his. They were the clearest blue color he had ever seen and when they saw him watching her they began to sparkle with joy.  
  
"Neil! You're awake," she cried, her mouth curving up with a smile. "You've had us so worried!"  
  
"Where am I?"  
  
"You're at the mission, Neil. You came riding up yesterday and scared me half to death!"  
  
He could see the tears forming in her eyes as she told him what had happened. It was plain to see she had been worried sick over him. The thought made him feel good but even so there was a question nagging him at the corner of his mind.  
  
"Lie still, I'll go get Miss Alice, she'll want to check your wound."  
  
He watched her leave, a smile on her face as she hurried out of the room, but his questions still rang out in his mind. He only had a moment to try and think when the door opened again and this time an older woman entered, the younger one coming in behind her. He watched as she sat down next to him and reached for the bandage on his head, examining the wound carefully.  
  
"Thy wound is healing nicely, Neil," she told him. "No doubt thy head is filled with pain. I shall give thee some medicine for the pain." Digging into a bag at her feet she mixed some powder with a little bit of water and brought the glass to his lips. He could feel his mind going cloudy with pain and exhaustion though he tried to fight it. Someone grabbed his hand and he looked over into a pair of smiling blue eyes.  
  
"Go to sleep Neil," she said softly, reaching out to brush a stray lock out of his eyes. "You need to rest." He frowned at her and her smile lost some of its brightness. "Neil, what's wrong?"  
  
"I'm sorry," he said after a moment. "Who are you?"  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Three  
  
She had to pump.   
  
That was all there was... the pump.   
  
Lift up.  
  
Press down.  
  
Water flows.  
  
Lift up.  
  
Press down.  
  
Water flows.   
  
Lift up.  
  
Press down.  
  
Water flows.  
  
It was all she had left to keep her from collapsing completely, his words ringing in her head.  
  
'Who are you?'  
  
Lift up.  
  
'I'm Christy.'  
  
Press down.  
  
'Do I know you?'  
  
Water flows.  
  
The bucket full of water she had no choice but to stop the pump and her mind was suddenly filled with images. Neil bent over Bob Allen as he examined the injured man. Waking in bed to see him standing against the window after the school had caught fire. Standing in the schoolroom arguing over a lesson. The feel of his hand on her shoulder as he called her out of church to help him with Burls operation. Walking through the fields as he placed a ring of woven flowers on her head. Enjoying a picnic with Teddy and Neil in the fields near Lovers Falls. The feel of his hand on hers as she had recovered from the bear attack. The kiss he had given her before leaving to go help the people in Low Gap still seared her lips.  
  
Her memories of Neil.  
  
The memories he no longer had.  
  
Shaking her head she bit back the low moan that filled her throat and climbed the steps to the mission, carrying the bucket of water up the stairs with her into the dog run and on into the kitchen. Setting the bucket in the corner she dipped the dipper into it and filled the teakettle as well as a pot filled with vegetables to make soup. With everyone else gone it fell to her to prepare the evenings meal for the only two people in the mission house.  
  
Alice had been called away to help birth a child into the world out in El Pano leaving Christy and Neil alone. As the injured man was sleeping Christy had gone outside to finish some undone chores and try to purge the despair that had filled her since the moment Neil had uttered those dreadful words.  
  
'Who are you?'  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Standing in the yard Christy shook out the sheet as she lifted it from the basket, grasping one edge so she could throw it over the line of cord running between the trees. When the sheet was settled nicely she turned back to the next item and stopped once she had picked it up. Holding the shirt tightly she ran her fingers over the collar gently, sighing at the memories a simple shirt could induce. This was the shirt he had been wearing when she had first seen him after waking up from the bear attack. It was the same shirt he had worn when they'd gone on a picnic after he'd returned from Low Gap a few months later. Closing her eyes for a moment Christy got back to work, putting the shirt on the clothesline next to the sheet and reaching for the next thing in the basket.   
  
It had been almost a month and there had been some change, though not much, in Neil's condition. He remembered being a doctor, he knew the cove was his home, even though he had gone away from it to attend college. Every day he seemed to recall a small memory from his past, a funny joke he'd heard at college, a lesson from one of his professors, a sickness that had hit the cove not long before he had left. But the memories from his time after college still evaded him, much to the frustration of everyone involved. Christy had tried to be patient, she really had. But it was a difficult thing to do, especially when he could laugh and talk with everyone in the cove except her. He was distant to everyone at the mission but Christy took it the hardest of them all. Gone was the friendly Neil she had come to love, the one who walked with her and sat by the fire talking till late at night. In his place stood a man who had no idea who she was other than to say she was a city girl who'd come to teach the children how to read and write.  
  
"Thee has been working diligently all morning, Miss Huddleston. Perhaps thee should break for some nourishment."  
  
"I'm afraid I don't have time right now Miss Alice. As soon as I get this laundry up to dry I have to get to the school to get ready for classes. I'll come and eat at recess, I promise."  
  
Alice regarded her silently for a moment. "Working thyself to thy death will not make him remember thee," she said at last.  
  
Despite herself Christy let out a small laugh. "If it would I would have begun a long time ago." Stopping her work she turned to face Alice and smiled. "I am not working myself to death, Miss Alice, I promise. This is a very busy time for the children between the school play and the tests that are being taken on top of all the other lessons it is taking me even longer to prepare for my day."  
  
"And thy work gives thee an excellent reason to avoid the mission house."  
  
Knowing she'd been caught Christy ducked her head and reached for another piece of laundry from the basket. "Yes it does." Pinning the petticoat to the line she paused to think before turning to face her mentor again. "The children keep me busy, Miss Alice, they don't allow me any time to think."  
  
"Thee must not dwell on Neil's lack of memory, Christy, it will only hurt thee."  
  
"That's not it, Miss Alice. It hurts that he doesn't remember me, but that's not what I can't get out of my mind. Every time I stop moving I keep seeing him, lying on the ground, blood covering his face, soaking into his shirt. He..." her emotions caught her off guard and Christy sucked in a deep breath to try and get her voice back under control, to force her eyes to stop stinging her with tears. "Shot in the head, Miss Alice! He could have died!" she cried at last. Closing her eyes she shook her head and forced the image to the back of her mind where she'd been keeping it for the last month. Turning she bent over and gathered up another sheet, flinging it over the clothesline. "I just need to stay busy and I'll be fine."  
  
Knowing now wasn't the time to pursue anything Alice left Christy to her work and headed back to the mission house. Sitting down at the table she noticed that it had already been cleared off. Smiling a small smile she thanked God or sending someone like Rebecca to their lives. She was exactly what they had needed. Between David's working with the cove, Christy teaching the school and her own trips to the various regions of the cove the mission had been in dire need of some attention. Attention that Rebecca had been showering upon it since her arrival. There were improvements all over the mission. Curtains graced the windows, dust had been banished, fresh flowers could be found in every room, and there were always the most delicious smells coming from the kitchen. Rebecca was a Godsend.  
  
"I take it I missed breakfast?"  
  
Turning she looked up to see Neil entering the mission house, leaning against the doorjamb with a small smile on his face. "I am sure thee could find something in the kitchen."  
  
"Maybe later." Sitting down at the table he faced her, his eyes serious. "I wanted to ask you something."  
  
"Of course," Alice said, nodding her head even as her curiosity grew.  
  
"I found something in the lab in my cabin that I don't know what to make of. There's a trunk, with the initials 'MHM'. It was filled with a woman's clothing."  
  
Alice was silent for a moment. It was obvious he didn't remember Margaret but was it really her place to remind him of what an awful marriage they'd had? "Neil that trunk belongs to..."  
  
"DOC!"  
  
A thunderous cry echoed in the room as the pounding of feet on wood sounded from the mission steps. Getting up from his chair Neil hurried to the door, wondering who it was that was calling him. "Jeb?" he said when he saw the man come running into the mission. "What is it?"  
  
"Hit be Fairlight. She got real dizzy this mornin' and tuk a fall down the steps. She ain't movin' since. Ya gots ta come, Doc."  
  
"All right, let's go."  
  
Hurrying out of the mission Neil was mounted on Charlie before Alice could say a word and was turning the horse around as she set foot on the mission porch. Watching him ride away she sighed a small breath of relief even as she realized it was a conversation she couldn't avoid forever.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"All right then class, make sure you think about your favorite color over the weekend and be ready to share with the class why you chose that color when you come back on Monday." Shouting over the clamor of the students as they gathered their things to leave Christy had to smile. They'd been so good all day she regretted having to give them an assignment at all. But she was still a teacher and it was her job to give out homework. When the last one had left she moved toward her desk to straighten her papers and clear off the chalkboard. Standing next to her desk Christy accidentally brushed a paper to the floor and bent over to pick it up. Straightening herself back up she felt a sudden pain in her back and gasped. Sitting down in a chair, her body tense with pain, she closed her eyes and bit her lip trying to wait out the worst of it.  
  
"Miss Huddleston?"  
  
Groaning when she heard the all too familiar brogue Christy wondered how it could get any worse. When she opened her eyes she found out. Too close to ignore she saw a pair of sparkling blue eyes staring back at her and against her bidding a tear sprang to her eye. "I'm fine," she whispered, closing her eyes and moving away from him.  
  
"I know what it looks like when someone is in pain, Miss Huddleston," he reminded her.  
  
Getting to her feet slowly she turned her back to him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, swallowing to try and make her voice sound normal.   
  
"I came to ask you to come to the Spencer's. I left to get some medicine from my cabin but I came here first. Fairlight has been asking for you."  
  
"Who's sick?" Christy asked, turning to face him when she heard that he'd been at the Spencer's.  
  
"It's Fairlight," he said gently, seeing the concern in her eyes, hearing it in her voice. "She took a tumble down the steps and hit her head."  
  
"Oh no!" Christy cried. Forgetting everything else she turned and shut the door near her desk, moving down the aisle to get out of the schoolhouse and to the nearest horse.   
  
"You can ride with me," Neil said, following right behind her. "We just need to stop at my cabin for some supplies."  
  
"No," shaking her head. "I'll ride Prince and go right to the Spencer's cabin."  
  
Not giving him a chance to reply Christy ran for the barn, opening the door and reaching for the saddle before hurrying over to Prince's stall. Moving as quickly as she could she saddled the horse and mounted, grimacing at the pull she could feel in her already sore back. Urging Prince out of the barn she turned him toward the Spencer's and kicked her heels to urge him to move faster. As she rode Christy could only imagine the worst but as her head began to move faster than her heart she realized it couldn't have been that bad if Neil had felt comfortable enough to leave the cabin and go for supplies. When she reached the cabin Christy handed the reigns to John and climbed the steps to the main room of the Spencer Cabin. With only a small hello to Jeb she sat down next to her friend and took her hand in hers.  
  
"Christy?" Fairlight said softly, her eyes scrunched shut in pain. "Christy, ya got's ta watch out fer the bear!" the older woman cried out with fear. "The she-bear, she be comin' fer ya!"  
  
"No," Christy soothed. "Fairlight the bear's dead, remember? It's dead and I'm fine."  
  
Leaning over she put her arms around Fairlight until she had calmed down and slipped off to sleep. Pushing herself up from the bed Christy felt the pain in her back fourfold and had to grab the table to keep from falling. Eyes closed with pain she felt her way to a chair to sit down when she felt someone grab her arms and push a chair up against her knees. Taking a few deep breaths she opened her eyes to see Neil watching her, kneeling in front of her as she sat in the chair.  
  
"Don't you dare tell me your fine," he scolded.  
  
"Worry about Fairlight, Doctor," she said, her words clipped due to both pain and emotion.  
  
"Fairlight is in good hands," he said, glancing over his shoulder quickly to see Jeb sitting next to her, draping another quilt over his wife. "She'll be fine, you on the other hand don't look as well." She tried to wave him off but he grabbed her hands in annoyance. "Stop telling me your fine, Lass, I can see you're in pain."  
  
Before his eyes she stopped still, her crystal blue eyes widening as she stared at him. Wondering what he had said to make her stop so still Neil was about to ask when there was a small commotion in the doorway and Rebecca and David appeared. Moving forward to find out what had happened David stole Neil's attention while Rebecca attended to Christy. Over David's words Neil could hear the conversation between the two women.  
  
"Christy?"  
  
"Take me home, Becca," she said with a shaky voice.  
  
"Is it your back?" Christy nodded and a worried frown appeared on the married woman's forehead. "Let's go. David," she called out to her husband. "I'm taking Christy home in the wagon, take Prince back please?"  
  
"Sure thing," the preacher replied. Moving toward them he kissed Rebecca's temple and squeezed Christy's hand. "Make sure you get Alice or Becky to rub some of the peppermint oil onto your back, Christy."  
  
"I will," she replied softly, her voice tight with pain.  
  
Watching the two women leave the cabin Neil ran a frustrated hand through his hair. Why was it she would turn away from him, a doctor, yet turn to the people from the mission? Was she so repulsed by mountain folk, or was it just him? His mind recalled the way her eyes had widened when he had bee kneeling before her moments ago, was she scared of him? Questions rang in his head and Neil fought to keep his mind on his patient but as he examined her he found that she was sleeping peacefully and appeared to be okay. Leaving some brief instructions with Jeb Neil climbed onto Charlie and headed home.   
  
As he rode, letting Charlie pick his way home at his own pace, Neil let his mind wander. There was still so much he didn't remember about his life after college and it seemed that the mission was one of the memories that eluded him. The building and the people were foreign to him but he had to admit that their influence had done some good for the cove. The children were being taught things he'd never had the chance to learn as a child. His thoughts came to rest on Christy and he wondered what it was about her that made her occupy so much of his thoughts. She reminded him of someone, he just didn't know whom.  
  
Neil remembered waking up in the mission to see her sleeping at his side. He remembered the way she had seemed to be with him every moment that he was awake until one day that had stopped. Why he wasn't sure but what he did know was that he missed her company. If only he could figure out the question that had bugged him since he realized he missed her. 'Why?'  
  
With a sigh Neil pulled Charlie to a stop and put him away in the barn. With heavy tired steps he climbed the stairs to his cabin and opened the door. Standing in the doorway he stopped in his tracks and stared at the sight before him, feeling a sense of déjà vu all over again.  
  
"Hi Mac."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Six  
  
Standing next to the makeshift stage curtain Christy was helping Creed with his costume when she felt something tugging at her skirt. Looking down she saw a beautiful sight. "Teddy!" Finishing the adjustment on Creed's costume she bent down and scooped the little boy up into her arms, squeezing him tightly to her. His arms wrapped securely around her neck Teddy laid his head on Christy's shoulder and placed wet kisses on her neck. Laughing Christy kissed him back.  
  
"Where's your Daddy, Teddy-bear?"  
  
"Don' want Papa, want Mama."  
  
"But you have to sit with Papa for now, okay? Mama needs to do some work and then you can sit with her." Nodding Teddy allowed Christy to lead him down the aisle to Neil's side where he sat at the end of a row. "I think you lost someone," she teased.  
  
"Too bad he found her again."  
  
Looking to the person sitting next to Neil Christy gasped, her eyes widening in shock. "Margaret," she whispered.  
  
"You know my wife, don't you Miss Huddleston?" Neil asked as he helped Teddy onto his lap. "Margaret's just returned from a small trip to Georgia."  
  
A small sound escaped from the back of her throat and Christy stood still as a stone, her staring eyes rapidly switching back and forth between Neil and Margaret. "Wife..." she breathed in disbelief.  
  
"Christy?" Alice called as she approached the young teacher. "Thee is needed behind the curtain by thy students." Putting a soft hand on her shoulder she frowned. "Is thee not well?"  
  
Christy lifted her eyes to Alice's and swallowed again, unable to speak. Shaking her head she backed away, turning to flee from the aisle way. Worried Alice was about to go after her when an all too familiar voice called out to her. "Hello Mother."  
  
Turning to look Alice saw Margaret sitting next to Neil, a smug smile on her face as she defiantly met her mothers gaze. "Margaret." Alice said, her voice hardening in understanding of why Christy had fled. Without another word she left, heading to the front of the schoolhouse to find Christy. Heading behind the curtain she stopped in her tracks when she saw Christy kneeling before Mountie and tying the strings of her bonnet. The little girl whispered something and Christy laughed, her face smiling and laughing along with Mountie but Alice could see that it didn't reach her eyes. The teacher was hiding her pain from her students and Alice hoped she wasn't trying to hide from it herself as well.  
  
Taking her seat Alice watched as the program began; a recreation of the early settlers as they had slowly moved westward across the nation. Though she was enjoying the play Alice found her eyes creeping again and again to the woman standing along the wall, watching and coaching her students. She was a picture of calm that made Alice even more worried. When the program ended the people of the cove moved outside to enjoy the sunshine, food, and fun. Caught up in a conversation she couldn't avoid Alice watched helplessly as Christy disappeared into the barn. Trying to catch someone eye she saw Fairlight meet hers and nod, the woman moving off to follow Christy.  
  
Slipping out of the crowd Fairlight made her way to the barn with an easy manner. The dark interior was silent, it seemed for a moment that no one was in there but as she looked around she saw some hay and dust flutter down to the ground from the second level of the barn. Climbing the ladder she peeked over to see Christy kneeling in the hay, head bowed, hands clenched together so tightly her knuckles were white. Silent tears streamed from her closed eyes, down her cheeks toward her lips that were moving in silent prayer.  
  
"Christy."  
  
After a moment she turned and met Fairlight's eyes with her own pain-filled ones. "She came back," she whispered with a strangled voice. "Oh Fairlight..." a sob caught in her throat, choking off her whispers and Christy fell into the hay, her head upon her arms and her tears flowing in a downpour.  
  
Moving over to her side Fairlight rubbed a gentle hand up and down Christy's back in comfort while she waited for her to cry out her frustrations. After some time Christy managed to pull herself together and sat up, side-by-side with Fairlight. Silence reigned for a few more minutes before either one spoke.  
  
"Trust in God, Christy," Fairlight said. "He'll give Neil his memory back, you'll see."  
  
"I know that," she sighed. "He is slowly remembering everything Fairlight but what if he falls for Margaret all over again? What if she manages to convince him that they should stay married?"  
  
"No," Fairlight rebutted emphatically. "He doesn't love her, we all know that. Nothing she can do would ever make him go back to her, ya got to believe that, Christy. Believe in God and trust in Neil's heart to make him remember the truth."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
Standing next to the stairs of the mission house, Teddy in his arms, Neil watched with curiosity as Fairlight emerged from the barn and go to the water pump, pumping some water into a small cup before heading back into the barn. Curious, but unable to do anything about it, he resigned himself to simply be curious and watch the barn door. Feeling Teddy squeeze his arms a little tighter Neil's curiosity switched to a new topic. Why was Teddy so clingy today? Normally he would run around with the other children or sit contentedly next to him but the boy refused to get down from his 'father's' arms. Even more curious was the boy's reaction when he had tried to hand him to Margaret for a moment. He'd had no idea a little boy could scream and carry on that much.  
  
A movement from the door caught his eyes and Neil swung his attention to the two women emerging from the barn. Fairlight headed towards the food table while Christy was pulled into a crowd of eager children and parents, each one wanting a moment of her time. He could see her smiling and talking with them but there was an aura of sadness about her that he couldn't understand. His curiosity getting the best of him Neil moved towards that group, excusing himself from Margaret's side for a moment. As he began to make his way over there Teddy began to scramble almost frantically to get out of Neil's arms. Letting him go he watched as the toddler ran through the crowd until he reached Christy's side, throwing his arms around her legs the instant he had reached her.   
  
Slowing his pace to stay back and watch, surprised that Teddy would go to her when he would go to anyone else, Neil's eyes were keen with interest at the interaction between the two. Looking down Christy saw Teddy and a true smile spilt her face in two. Reach down she lifted him up and crushed him to her, hugging the little boy tightly as she kissed his cheek. The group around her smiled at the sight, as though it were perfectly natural for Teddy to be so open with the teacher while he wouldn't even allow Margaret to touch him.  
  
Before he could get any closer Neil felt someone touch his arm and looked down to see Fairlight standing next to him, a smile on her face. "Yer a hard man ta catch lately, Neil MacNeil."  
  
"Between the medical calls and my family it's been a busy time, Fairlight," Neil smiled back. "How have you been feeling? Any more dizziness?"  
  
"No, nothing since. I'm feelin' fine, thanks to you and Christy."  
  
"Christy?"  
  
"Well surely. If it weren't fer her remindin' me that it was okay I'd still be afearin' that bear was a'comin' fer her."  
  
"Bear?"  
  
"Why shorely you remember that bear?" Fairlight paused. "Oh my, I reckon ya don't. Silly me, I jest plumb forgot that yer memories ain't come back that far yet. Give it time, Neil, you'll remember that awful day."  
  
Excusing herself Fairlight headed back towards Jeb's side, a smile on her face as she headed away. A little prodding never hurt anyone.  
  
Frowning, more curious than ever, Neil was heading towards Christy once more when he felt yet another hand on his arm. Looking down he saw Margaret looking up at him, her smile tired but cheery. "Mac, I'm so tired, what do you say we gather the little one and head on home?"  
  
"All right," he said, hiding his frustration at not being able to figure out what was going on. "I'll get Teddy and we can leave." Moving forward he was a little surprised that Margaret came along with him. Shrugging it off he stopped next to Christy. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to reclaim my son from you, Miss Huddleston."  
  
Neil watched as Christy glanced up at him, her smile dimming for a moment before slipping off when her eyes found Margaret. Swallowing she turned her attention back to Teddy and tried to summon up a smile for the little boy. "Teddy, it's time for you to go back home with Daddy, now okay?"  
  
"No! Teddy no go!" he cried, clinging tightly to her neck.  
  
"Sweetie, it's okay, you'll be with your Daddy," she reminded him.  
  
"No! No Papa!"  
  
"Teddy, go with Papa now and Mammmmmmaybe I can come out and visit you soon, okay?" she offered, catching herself from calling herself 'mama'.   
  
"P'omise?" he sniffed against her neck.  
  
"I promise."  
  
Hugging him for a moment Christy reached up to remove his arms from her neck. No sooner had he lost his hold on her Teddy began to scream, reaching out for Christy with tears streaming from his eyes. Confused by his reaction Neil tried to comfort the child, to calm him down as they walked towards Charlie. Waiting while Neil swung up onto Charlie with a screaming Teddy in his arm Margaret turned back to for a moment to smile smugly at Christy. Reaching up she let Neil help her climb onto Charlie and they rode away, Teddy's cries echoing in the ear of every mother in the cove.  
  
Her heart breaking, chest aching, Christy turned away, unable to listen to Teddy screaming for her. Looking to Alice, tears slipping down from her eyes, she let the older woman envelope her in a comforting hug as Teddy's crying grew fainter the farther Charlie carried him away.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
Sitting on the floor next to the child sized bed in the corner of the main room Neil watched as Teddy slept, his face still streaked with the tears of a heartbroken little boy. The screams still echoed in his ears though hours had passed since that awful ride home. It was the first time Neil had known Teddy to truly act up. He was normally such a peaceful little child, quiet, happy, never acting up unless he was tired and cranky. But today Neil had seen a complete other side to his son. The boy had screamed the entire ride back to the cabin, eventually crying himself to sleep in the crook of Neil's arms. Margaret had claimed it was the terrible two's but Neil wasn't sure.  
  
"Mac, come on over here and talk to me."  
  
Lifting his eyes from Teddy Neil looked up to see Margaret standing by the chair by the fire. Getting up he walked over and sat down in the chair, tensing when Margaret sat down on his lap. Though he knew in his mind that they were married, there was evidence of it all over the cabin, he still couldn't remember her or their marriage. They slept in the same bed every night and Neil was finding it more and more difficult to ignore her as a woman.   
  
"Mac, you need to loosen up and stop worrying so much about Teddy. He'll be fine. Frankly I'm a little worried about how attached he is to the teacher. It's not right."  
  
"She's the teacher, Margaret. She has a natural way with the children, I see it every time she's around them."  
  
"I don't care, Mac," Margaret returned, fighting to control her temper as she wound her arms around his neck. "Teddy is my son not hers. How am I supposed to help him realize that if she has such ties to him?"  
  
Neil thought over it for a moment before nodding his head. "All right, Margaret. I'll speak with her."  
  
"Thank you, Mac," Margaret whispered in his ear. Using the wiles she had learned over the last years she lowered her mouth to his and kissed him, relishing in the fact that, as a man at least, he couldn't stop his reaction to her seduction. "Mac... lets go to bed."  
  
Forcing his mind past the feelings she was stirring up in him Neil shook his head. "No, not yet, I have some work to do. You go, I'll be up soon."  
  
Getting to his feet, setting Margaret on hers, Neil headed towards his lab, glancing at Teddy as he passed the sleeping child. Shutting the door behind him Neil leaned against the worktable and took several deep breaths to calm himself down. Sitting down in his chair he looked out the window to the darkness that he couldn't see through and felt a sense of kinship with it. There was so much of his mind that was dark. Things he couldn't recall; memories that were just out of reach. It was frustrating and maddening to no end. Tiredness crept over him and as he sat at the table his head slowly began to drift down until it rested on his arms.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Looking around he saw the fields that surrounded him, flowers in full bloom, their scent filling the air. Neil saw Charlie grazing a little ways away and he saw Teddy playing nearby, entranced by the grasshopper that had landed on his arm. But only a few feet away sat a woman who held his attention. Her long dark hair flowed in a river of curls down her back, pointing down in a soft arrow to the slim curve of her shirtwaist. Her hands were waving in the air animatedly as she talked, laughing when she had finished her tale. Beyond her Neil could see himself, listening to the tale she had been telling, laughing along with her. He could see that though he was resting in a relaxed position, stretched out on his side, his head propped on his hand, he was paying close attention to the woman. It was plain to see how much he loved her and she him from the gentle way she brushed a stray curl from his eye.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Waking to the smell of coffee and burning toast Neil opened his eyes and frowned, trying to recall the dream that had held him in it's grip. Rubbing his stiff neck Neil stood and walked out of the lab to find that the night had passed and the days sun was already beginning it's steady climb into the sky. Looking to the stove he saw her. Standing with her back to him, her long dark curls flowing freely, though in a little disarray, was the woman from his dream. His wife. Moving closer he stopped a few inches behind her and put a gentle hand on her shoulder, turning her to face him.   
  
"Good morning," he said, lowering his lips to hers. "... wife."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
Standing at the blackboard in the front of the school Christy patiently wrote out the lessons for the day, her neat script filling the blackboard so the children could copy it down and begin their lessons. When she had finished she turned around to see Neil standing in the doorway, a solemn look on his face. Quirking her eyebrows in curiosity she told the children to begin their lessons and slipped outside to speak with Neil.  
  
"Well good morning," she smiled. "What brings you here today?"  
  
"I needed to talk to you," he said after a moment of trying to think of how to say what he needed to say.  
  
"Neil?" Christy frowned, sensing his inner struggle. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I need to ask you to leave Teddy alone, Miss Huddleston."  
  
Christy stepped back as though he had slapped her. "What?" she whispered in disbelief.  
  
"Margaret and Teddy need time to let their relationship grow stronger and the relationship you have the him is blocking Margaret's."  
  
"Margaret's relationship... with Teddy..." she repeated.  
  
A small smile broke out on Neil's face. "Yes. It was the most amazing thing. You told me to give it time and I would remember everything but I never thought it could happen like this. I went to sleep not really remembering Margaret but then I had this dream of a time when we were all sitting in the meadow, Teddy was playing near Charlie and I saw her sitting there, talking about something. When I woke up I realized that woman in my dream had to have been... Miss Huddleston!" Neil cried, reaching out to catch the teacher when he realized she was fainting to the ground, crumpling as her eyes had rolled back into her head, her skin pale.   
  
His cry had alerted the children in the back of the schoolroom and they came tumbling out, each one trying to help. Ordering them all inside, placing Rob Allen in charge of the school for the time being, Neil picked Christy up and carried her back to the mission. Almost to the mission stairs the door swung open and Rebecca came running out. "Christy!"  
  
"She's fainted," Neil explained as he climbed the steps and entered the mission. Laying her on the divan he told Rebecca to get his saddlebags from Charlie and moments later he was holding smelling salts under the teachers nose. "Come on now, Miss Huddleston," he sang softly as she was roused from her faint.  
  
"Neil," she whispered, still not fully aware. Frowning she blinked and looked up into the deep blue eyes that peered down at her. "What happened?"  
  
"You fainted, Christy!" Rebecca broke in, worried for her friend.  
  
"Fainted?" Christy repeated with a frown. "But why? I was in the school, Neil showed up and we went outside for a moment to talk when..." Swallowing, Christy stopped talking, the backs of her eyes stinging with hot tears. "I'll be okay. I must have not eaten enough breakfast this morning. I'll be fine."  
  
Brushing the helping hands away Christy stood and turned her back to them, clutching her throat to fight back the scream that was building within her. "Thank you, Doctor, for being there when you were. I'll keep in mind what you had mentioned. I'm sure you have other patients to see so I won't keep you."  
  
Feeling as though he'd been dismissed, and not liking it, he left.  
  
When she heard Charlie riding away Christy finally let the scream escape from her throat but by then it had turned into a low moan as she remembered the words Neil had spoken to her.  
  
"Christy?"  
  
"Can you please take care of the children, Rebecca?" she asked. "I need to be alone."  
  
Without waiting for an answer Christy fled the mission, running away from it as fast as she could, running until she could barely breathe. When she finally collapsed she lay on the ground, her chest heaving, a dry sob caught in her throat.   
  
Neil.  
  
Teddy.  
  
Overnight she had lost the two people she loved more than anything else. She had lost them both to the same person, the same witch that had cast her spell to trap one with a false love and lies, the other with an iron grip of hate. Getting to her feet Christy stood and looked around to see that she was at Lovers Falls. Walking over to the edge she sat down and hung her legs off the edge of the cliff, her mind recalling that awful, horrible day so long ago.  
  
So focused on the ground beneath her, the memories it held over her, that Christy didn't hear anyone approaching until Fairlight sat down next to her. Looking up at her dearest friend Christy couldn't stop the tears from flowing out of her eyes.  
  
"You were right," she whispered at last. "The she-bear came back and this time she wants both Teddy and Neil."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Ten  
  
Standing on the porch, nervous and scared, Alice stared out through the gray rain, straining her eyes to see the figure heading towards the mission. The shadowy figure was too small to be a man but too big to be a child and Alice prayed she was right in assuming it was Christy. The young teacher had been gone all day, since she had left the school, and Alice was worried. Rebecca's information was sketchy, she'd had no idea where Christy had gone only that she had fled the mission. When she was told that Neil had been talking to her Alice wondered what he could possibly have said to have made her faint.  
  
Neil too must have sensed that something was wrong because he had returned to the mission later that night, wanting to talk to Alice about Christy's history with the cove. She had answered his questions honestly, telling him how she had come to the cove and what her first year was like. He'd seemed satisfied with it but a frown still creased his forehead until she asked him what was wrong.  
  
'I keep thinking there is something that I am missing about her. The reactions I see when I am with her are so varied but they all have this same sense of expectation. I feel as though she is waiting for something.'  
  
Alice hadn't been sure what to say to that, she still didn't know how she should have replied, but thankfully she was saved from making a reply by RubyMae's announcement that supper was ready. They had eaten but Alice's stomach was hollow, a knot growing in its pit that something was truly wrong. And it was still there, growing steadily worse a she watched she shadowy, rain soaked, figure heading towards the mission house. Moments later they were close enough to be seen clearly and Alice drew in a breath.  
  
"Christy!" she called out to her, calling the woman in. "Thee is soaked," she lightly scolded as she put an arm around Christy's shoulders, helping her up the stairs and into the mission. "Rebecca! Please find some dry clothing for Christy. RubyMae, some hot tea please."  
  
"I'll build up the fire, Alice," David volunteered, moving forward to add some wood to the fire until it roared.  
  
Standing next to the fire, shivering, and soaked through and through Christy looked up at Alice, her blue eyes dry but filled with pain and sadness. Alice couldn't stand it any longer. "Christy, what's happened? Where has thee been?"  
  
"L... lovers F... falls."  
  
"Lovers Falls? Christy why would thee have gone there of all places?"  
  
"Miss Alice," she said softly, her large blue eyes lifting to meet Alice's kind brown ones. "He asked me to stay away from Teddy."  
  
Stopping in shock Alice's hands paused for a moment before continuing to rub Christy's hands to get some warmth into them. Her eyes flitted past Christy to the man standing in the doorway, his face filled with confusion and concern. Neil had heard what Christy had said and Alice could see the questions begin to fill his mind. "Thee needs to get out of these wet clothes, Christy. Go upstairs with Rebecca and then come down to the fire."  
  
Neil watched in silence as Christy was pushed toward the stairs, her soaked shirt clinging to her skin and revealing a criss-cross of dark red lines running all over her back. Frowning he took a step forward but stopped when Alice held up her hand, silently ordering him not to take another step. When Christy was out of sight she turned to him and motioned her him to join her in the kitchen. Away from all the others his questions burst froth from behind the wall he had penned them up in.  
  
"What is going on here, Alice? What happened to her back? Why is she so close to Teddy? What does my telling her to stay away from him have to do with Lover's Falls? Why wasn't she supposed to be there?"  
  
"Neil stop!" Alice cried, putting up her hands to silence his outpouring of questions. "I know thee has many questions and some of them I can answer but others..." she sighed. "Others I am not sure thee should know at this time."  
  
"Why not?" he demanded.  
  
"Thee has not recovered all of thy memory yet, it is difficult for those who know the entire truth to keep silent, especially at a time like this. But forcing thee to remember things is not going to help, it will only add confusion to thy amnesia."  
  
"Then tell me why Christy wasn't supposed to be at Lovers Falls."  
  
"There is nothing wrong, no reason for her not to be there. The place holds many painful memories and it surprised me that she would have gone there, that is all."  
  
"And what happened to her back?"   
  
"She was attacked by a wild animal."  
  
"That would explain the pain in her back at times," he mused to himself. "Alice, why is Miss Huddleston so close to Teddy?"  
  
Alice thought over how to answer the question for a moment before she spoke. "Christy was here when Teddy was first brought to the cove. She helped him with some nightmares and was the first person her knew here in the cove. It is only natural that they be close."  
  
"But to be as close as they are? Alice he screamed himself to sleep last night because he couldn't have Christy." Neil could see that Alice was hiding something from him and he pressed her to tell him.  
  
"I cannot, not yet," she replied "That is a question thee is not ready to hear yet, Neil. Soon, I pray you will be soon, but not yet."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Eleven  
  
Stripping off her soaked skirts and shirt Christy gladly accepted the blanket Rebecca had heated by the fire downstairs while her friend pulled afresh nightgown from the bureau. Hurriedly dressing she pulled off her undergarments and handed tossed them onto the pile of other wet clothes. Once she was dry and burrowed beneath the blanket Christy looked up to see Rebecca taking a brush from the nightstand and she moved to stand behind her, slowly taking the pins from her hair and letting it fall around her shoulders and down her back.  
  
"You always did have such beautiful hair. So long and curly," she said as she began to brush out Christy's hair. "When we were younger I was so jealous because mine was pin straight. I wanted curls so much!"  
  
Her chin began to tremble as Christy remembered the dream Neil had told her about; the curls that he had assumed were Margaret. Silent tears fell from her eyes as Rebecca brushed her hair. When all the knots were gone she laid the brush down and knelt behind her old friend, wrapping her arms around her with the love a sister would show to another. "He will realize the truth, Christy, I promise he will. Neil loves you, he just needs time to remember that."  
  
"What if he doesn't?"  
  
"He will."  
  
"But..."  
  
"He will," she said, cutting her off with a determined tone. "But we need you to remain healthy, so lets get you down to the fire so you can stay warm."  
  
Nodding she brushed off her tears and stood, gathering the blanket around her like a cape, following Rebecca back down to the fire in the main room. David had pulled a chair a little closer to the roaring fire and RubyMae stood ready with a cup of hot tea. Smiling a small smile in thanks she accepted both and focused on getting warm again. When she looked up Christy saw that everyone had disappeared except for Miss Alice, the older woman sitting in a chair not too far away. For a while neither of them spoke, the silence companionable between them.  
  
"Christy," she said at last, her voice as soft as a mothers can be. "Will thee tell me what was said today?"  
  
Taking a deep breath Christy sighed and told Alice what had happened. "I suppose it was stupid of me to faint but I felt all of my hope slipping away from me. Margaret is trying to take Neil and Teddy away from me and I don't know what to do. How can I fight for them if Neil doesn't even remember who I am?"  
  
"Thee must trust in God to restore Neil's memory, child. He is remembering and in time he will have all of his memories back, both the good and the bad."  
  
"I know that Miss Alice, in my mind I know that and I do trust in God to help me and to help Neil. But I cannot stop my heart from fearing that it may be too late. That even after Neil does get his memory back he will still choose to be with Margaret since she has come back to him. I live every day with that fear eating me up from the inside. What if...?"  
  
Her voice trailed off and Christy lowered her eyes to stare at the fire, the question repeating in her mind like a broken phonograph.  
  
What if?  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twelve  
  
Sitting at the desk in his lab Neil couldn't concentrate on his work, repeatedly finding himself staring out the window. Forcing himself to look back down at the chart he was filling out he frowned in confusion, unable to remember what he had been trying to write. With a sigh he realized he'd already finished this particular file and, with a small grimace of chagrin, realized he'd written the same paragraph three times. Shaking his head he closed the file and stood, walking over to the drawer to replace it in its proper alphabetical place. Settling the file down he caught a name from the corner of his eye and pulled the file out of the drawer.  
  
Christy R Huddleston.  
  
Taking the file back to the desk he sat down and opened it to the first page. The file was thin, and relatively new, but the notes were detailed, much more so than the other files. He wondered why he would have kept such detailed notes over someone who was obviously healthy. Curious he read through the file. The first entry was a blow to the head, one that rendered her unconscious, from a falling roof beam when the school had caught on fire. From the notes he was reading Neil got the distinct impression the fire was no accident and he wondered why the young teacher hadn't left right then and there. 'She must be stronger than she looks,' he thought to himself.  
  
Reading on he read about a headache here and there, each one being recorded because he had happened to notice her shielding her eyes from the light or cringing when she heard a noise. Christy hadn't reported them to him but rather he had called her on the pain she had been trying to keep hidden, most likely from the children. There was one instance of a slight fever but it was nothing too serious. A twisted ankle, a somewhat more serious fever; all in all she seemed to be a healthy young woman.  
  
The last few entries held his attention as he began to read them, the first one long and detailed. Realizing this was the attack Alice had been telling him about Neil was shocked to find that the attacking animal had been a bear. Why had she said wild animal instead of bear? Scrutinizing it Neil realized that the writing seemed shakier than unusual. Had he been writing faster than he normally did? Were his hands cold? Why had they been shaking? On the next page there were the details of the surgery he had performed to close the deeper claw marks in her back. Frowning with curiosity Neil ran his finger over a watermark that had crinkled the paper. How had that gotten there? Had he been drinking some water while he wrote the report?  
  
Finishing some of the follow up reports on the progress of her back Neil closed the file and stood to replace it in the drawer. The files had helped somewhat to remember things, medically anyway, about her. But at the same time it had raised questions about Christy and the relationship they'd had. He seemed to keep an eye on her more so than the others in the cove. While no one went unsupervised Neil could tell from the notes that he kept a close eye on the teacher and he wondered why.  
  
Still thinking about her his thoughts were interrupted by a loud pounding on the door. Walking out of his lab he hurried to the front door and opened it to find Jobe O'Thair, a farmer from Low Gap, anxiously waiting for him on the other side. "Doc, ya gots ta come! My littl'un's be a feverin' somethin' fierce," he said the moment he saw Neil's face.  
  
"All right, Jobe. Let me get my bag and I'll be right out."  
  
Nodding the man left, hurrying to get back to his family while Neil went back inside to get his medical bag. Sitting in the main room by the fire Margaret watched him hurry and a scowl filled her face. "Where are you going, Mac?" she asked, forcing her tone to be light.  
  
"I have to go to Low Gap," he replied. "The O'Thair children are sick."  
  
"But you just got back!" she complained.  
  
"Margaret," he said stopping for a moment. "I have to go."  
  
"Don't you care about me? You've been gone all week and now you're leaving again."  
  
"Of course I care about you," he said hurriedly. Putting his hands on her shoulders Neil leaned down and kissed her. "But I have to take care of the cove, Margaret, it's who I am."  
  
Watching him leave Margaret glared at the door as it shut. "Not for long Mac," she growled.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Thirteen  
  
Sitting on the porch, watching the sun set down behind the mountains Christy rocked in the chair, her toes keeping the rocker moving as she stared out at the colors that filled the sky. Sighing she refused to allow herself to focus in on the thoughts that were tumbling around in her head. The fears, the doubts; tumbling around like a whirlwind. Shaking her head she forced herself to not think about it. About to give in she felt something pulling on her and looked down to see Teddy climbing into her lap.  
  
"Teddy?" she said, smiling as she helped him climb up into her lap. "Well hello my little Teddy Bear."  
  
"Mamma," he sighed, sinking his head into the crook of her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her neck.  
  
It was obvious that he was exhausted and Christy had seen the tear streaks on his cheeks. Frowning she stood, holding him tightly to her, and looked out over the yard to try and find the one that had brought him to the mission. Her frown deepened when she realized the yard was empty. Taking Teddy inside Christy stopped at the dining room to speak with Alice.  
  
"Miss Alice, Teddy's here."  
  
Glancing up Alice saw Christy holding Teddy and furrowed her brow with curiosity. "Where is Neil?"  
  
"He's not here."  
  
"Margaret?" Christy shook her head. "Oh no. Is he okay?"  
  
"He's exhausted but I think he's okay. I'm going to take him upstairs to get some sleep."  
  
"But what about..."  
  
"I am not going to stay away from Teddy if she can't even have the human decency to keep him safe. Whether Neil remembers it or not, Miss Alice, Teddy is my son, not hers. If Neil is not here to take care of him then Margaret will not be allowed to."  
  
Alice nodded after a moment and Christy turned to take Teddy upstairs to sleep, the poor little child already falling asleep. Watching her go, seeing the gentle way she cradled Teddy to her she knew Christy was doing the right thing. She just hoped she could convince Neil of that.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Pulling Charlie to a stop Neil tied the reins to the railing and climbed the steps to the mission house. Tiredly he opened the front door and entered the building only to stop in his tracks at the sight that awaited him. On the divan sat David and Rebecca while Alice sat in a chair with her bible open, reading from it. But there, playing on the floor together, were Christy and Teddy, a pile of wooden blocks sitting between them. The first thing to hit him was the laughter he heard from Teddy, the giggling laughter of a little boy who was happy. It was a sound he hadn't heard in a long time.  
  
But that didn't change the fact that Christy had gone against what he had asked of her. "What is going on here?" he called out.  
  
"Papa!" Teddy smiled, seeing Neil in the room.  
  
Lifting her head Christy saw him sanding in the open doorway and got to her feet. She could see the anger forming in his eyes and knew he was upset that Teddy was at the mission. Bending down she lifted Teddy and handed him to Rebecca, asking her to take him upstairs. When they were out of the room she turned to face Neil and spoke before he had the chance.  
  
"I know that you asked me to stay away from Teddy so that Margaret could develop her relationship with him and even though it went against everything in me I was going to do as you had asked me Neil. But before you come in here and lose your temper with me for being with Teddy I suggest you go back to your cabin and ask your..." she couldn't bring herself to say the word. "Ask her where Teddy is."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Fourteen  
  
Neil's anger smoldered for a moment.  
  
"Teddy is here, Miss Huddleston, that much is obvious. How did he get here if Margaret is not here?"  
  
"Ask her," Christy replied, biting the words to keep from screaming them, her anger brewing as hot as the Scottish doctor standing in front of her.  
  
"I'm asking you. You're the one who has Teddy."  
  
"Teddy came to the mission on his own, Doctor!" she said, catching herself from yelling just in time. "And he will not be leaving this mission house until you go talk to her and find out just how it is that Teddy was able to come all the way to the mission, on his own. You of all people should know how dangerous it is out there for a toddler, Doctor MacNeil, you grew up in these mountains and as a doctor I'm sure you've seen the problems that a toddler can get into."  
  
Pausing she took a deep breath to try and calm herself down before she said something she was going to regret. "Go and talk to Margaret, doctor. Then you can come back and try to take Teddy."  
  
"Try?" he repeated, focusing in on her choice of words.  
  
"If he doesn't want to leave I am not going to make him."  
  
"Teddy is my son, Miss Huddleston," Neil ground out, not liking the way she was interfering with his family. "He will be coming home with me."  
  
"I know that Teddy is your son, of that fact there is no doubt in my mind. And I know that you love him with all your heart. But if you ever leave him alone with her again I promise you that I will take Teddy away from here, even if it means taking him away from you."  
  
Neil's eyes widened in shock and behind her Christy heard Alice gasp. Since the moment Margaret had come back to the mission Teddy's life had been a nightmare and Christy was sick of it. Every time she saw him he was crying or unhappy and it was slowly killing her inside. Last night he'd had a nightmare and had woken up screaming in Christy's arms. She could only imagine the things that Margaret was doing to him, or not doing for him as the case may be.  
  
"Listen to me, woman..."  
  
"No, Doctor, you listen to me," she said. Lifting her eyes to his her anger softened for a moment. "You have a rather large chunk of your memory missing and until you get it back you are going to have to trust me. Teddy is better off here at the mission than at the cabin, alone with Margaret."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Ask her."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on Charlie Neil stared at the cabin in front of him with silent contemplation. The moon was behind him, lighting the cabin so he could see it clearly in the pale light. It was dark inside the cabin and he wondered what Margaret was doing. Had she gone out to look for Teddy? Urging Charlie up to the stable Neil slid off the back of his old friend and unbuckled the straps. As he turned to put the saddle onto a rail a voice rang in his head, two words playing over and over, 'Ask her.'  
  
It was plain to him that Christy didn't like Margaret anymore than Margaret liked her but Neil was lost to think of a reason why. At first he was going to storm up to the second floor and take Teddy with him but something in the teachers eyes made him stop. He remembered the way her eyes had always seemed to expect something of him. But at that moment he had looked down into her crystal blue eyes and the expectation was gone. It had been replaced by a burning plea, as though she was begging him.  
  
But for what?  
  
Sighing Neil finished his work, giving his old friend some hay to munch on and a friendly pat on the neck before heading to the cabin. Inside his home he saw that the fireplace was cold, the table cleared but not clean and dirty dishes sitting in the dish tub. Moving through the room he moved to the stairs that led up to the bedroom and began to climb them. Standing in the doorway he peered into the moonlit bedroom and stared at the woman sound asleep on the bed.  
  
His son wasn't lying in his bed and yet here lay his wife, sleeping as though she was without a care in the world.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Fifteen  
  
He was sitting at the table when she came down the next morning.  
  
"Mac!" she smiled. "You're home."  
  
"Yes, I go back last night."  
  
Margaret could sense that he was in a bad mood from the clipped tone of his voice and the cold look in his eyes as he looked at her. "You didn't come to bed."  
  
"I had too many things to think about." Margaret moved over to the stove and put up a pot to make coffee but Neil stopped her. "Sit down," he said, motioning for her to sit at the table.  
  
A bad feeling crept over her as she sat down across the table from Neil. "Is something bothering you Mac? Was it a bad call?"  
  
"No, the O'Thair's are fine." Neil leaned back and looked at Margaret for a few minutes, his gaze cool and searching. "How did you sleep?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"That's good."  
  
Annoyed at his game Margaret shifted under his gaze. "What's going on Mac?"  
  
Neil was silent for a moment longer. "Where's Teddy?"  
  
Darting her eyes to the small crib in the corner of the room Margaret realized the little boy was gone. "Fairlight came over last night and asked if he could spend the night at their cabin. She said that he got along really well with her children and they wanted to play," she said, pulling an easy smile to her lips.  
  
"He's at the mission."  
  
Silence fell over the room and Margaret's face went blank when she realized he'd known where Teddy was the whole while. "I thought you told her to stay away from our son. How dare she go to the Spencer's and take Teddy from there?" she said, her voice filling with righteous anger. "Why can't she just leave our family alone!?"  
  
"DOC!"  
  
Hearing the yell Neil jumped to his feet instinctively and hurried to the front door. "Rob? What's wrong?"  
  
"Hit be Creed, he dun fell from the ruf an' he ain't woke'd up!" Grabbing his medical bag Neil left the cabin, his conversation with Margaret put on hold for the time being.   
  
Watching him leave Margaret waited until he was gone from sight before hurrying upstairs to get dressed. As she was buttoning her blouse she fell into a coughing fit and fell to the bed. When she was finally able to breathe Margaret lowered her handkerchief from her lips and saw that it was stained with blood. Seeing the red stain urged her to her feet. She wasn't going to let some interfering little city girl take the one thing she had left to give to Neil.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Sixteen  
  
"You are one very lucky little lad, Creed Allen," Neil smiled as he ruffled Creeds hair. "You could have been hurt a lot worse."  
  
"Fo'sure?"  
  
"Yep. People have been known to die from a knock to the head."  
  
"Yeah, but none o'them's got that thick skull our boy got's," Bob declared.  
  
The small group laughed and Creed smiled at them all.  
  
"No more climbing on the roof young man, you hear me?"  
  
"Yes'sir," Creed smiled from his spot on the bed.  
  
"All right then." Getting to his feet Neil re-packed his saddlebags and was riding away moments later, a freshly baked tart in his hands as payment. Munching on it as he rode Neil knew exactly where he was going to go. Each woman was telling him something different and there was one way to find out which one was telling the truth.  
  
"Doc?"  
  
Smiling down at Jeb Neil dismounted from Charlie and shook his friend's hand. "Mornin' Jeb," he said in greeting. "How's everything been?"  
  
"Well'nough, I s'pose. Ya here fer a reason?"  
  
"Actually I came to talk to Fairlight for a moment."  
  
"Whal she be inside, I reckon ya can jest go raght in."  
  
Thanking him Neil did just as he was told. Entering the cabin he saw Fairlight standing at the table peeling the skin from a potato for the nights dinner. "Morning Fairlight," he smiled.  
  
"Well look at you," she smiled back. "How are the Allens doing?"  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"She was makin' tarts yesterday an' ya got's the crumbs all over yer shirt."  
  
Laughing Neil brushed them off and shook his head. "It was Creed. He took a tumble but he's fine."  
  
"So is you gonna ask yer question or sit a'chattin' with me fer a spell?"  
  
"I do have a question for you Fairlight."  
  
"Well, what'cha waitin' fer?"  
  
With a small sigh Neil lost his smile. "Was Teddy here at all recently?"  
  
"Why sur," she smiled. "Christy brought 'im by nears'bout three days ago, I spect it was 'bout the day after ya'd left fer Low Gap parts. We went walking an' Teddy and Lulu went with us."  
  
"That day after I left? But that was four days ago!"  
  
"I 'spect it was. Din'ya leave Teddy at the mission? I 'sumed ya had since Christy had him all the while."  
  
"No," Neil said, his voice growing quiet as he directed his thoughts inward. "No I didn't. Fairlight, have you seen Margaret at all?"  
  
"No, I ain't seen her myself. My man did though. Jeb was a'sayin' he'd seen her in El Pano the day'fore last.  
  
"She was in El Pano?" Fairlight nodded. "What was she doing there?"  
  
"Cain't rightly say."  
  
Lifting his gaze her face Neil knew there was something she wasn't telling him. Pressing her she refused to tell him what it was. But Neil was insistent, bothering her until she gave in and sat down at the table with him. Taking Neil's hand in hers she met his gaze with an equally serious one.  
  
"I'll tell ya two things, Neil MacNeil and then that's it." He nodded. "First thing is she-bears ain't jest the big animals that live in the forest, they come in all shapes and sizes."  
  
Neil was confused but he knew he would figure it out in time. "And the second thing?"  
  
"That Margaret you got in yer place ain't the only one what's got long curly hair."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Seventeen  
  
Climbing the steps to the mission Margaret took a moment to catch her breath before entering the building and into the main room. The room was empty but she could hear sounds coming from the kitchen. Passing through the empty dining room to the kitchen she saw the preachers wife standing over the stove while Teddy was playing with a small piece of dough on the floor by the doorway. Without a word she picked the little boy up, covering his mouth with her hand so he couldn't make any noise, and headed back outside.  
  
Scared, terrified in truth, Teddy began to kick and squirm, tears of fright beginning to form in his eyes. Pulling at the hand that covered his mouth he fought to get away from the person that had grabbed him. Finally, in desperation he bit the hand that was covering his mouth and the moment it moved away he cried out, "MAMMA!!!"  
  
Grabbing his arms tighter Margaret set him on the ground and forced him to look at her, slapping his face to make him stop crying. "Listen to me you little brat! I am your mamma now and you aren't going to go anywhere near that teacher, do you hear me?" she hissed, the venom in her voice freezing her prey in fear. Silently Teddy nodded, his eyes wide, tears flowing freely, frozen in place by a chilling fear of the mean woman that had taken him away. "You'd better do as I say little boy or else."  
  
Grabbing him again she headed to the woods, disappearing into the trees.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Standing in front of the classroom Christy yelled over the chatter of the children's voices to try and make them calm down. Finally, after several minutes of the loud chatter and squeals of delight they calmed down. "All right, all right," she laughed. "I know that your excited but this is still a classroom and you need to calm down, okay?" A chorus of 'yes teacher's rang out and she had to smile.  
  
"Okay, so I want everyone to think of their favorite story and tomorrow we will have a picnic by the river to tell each story. Now, we have to get back to our lessons so if everyone will please take out your slates, we'll work on some word problems."   
  
Waiting to make sure everyone had their slate and chalk ready, Christy was about to begin the word problem when Rebecca came running into the school. "Christy!" she cried. "Teddy's gone!"  
  
"What?" she cried, moving forward a few steps in shock. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know," she said breathlessly. "We were in the kitchen and when I turned around he was gone. I started looking all over the mission but I couldn't find him. When I was in the back I heard him scream but when I got to the front yard he was gone!"  
  
For one moment, one split second of pure terror, Christy's heart was frozen in fear. The next she was moving faster than she had ever thought possible, questions ringing in her head. Had he wandered off and gotten hurt? Where was he?   
  
"Teddy!" Christy screamed the instant her feet had hit the grassy yard of the schoolhouse. "Teddy!"  
  
Running toward the mission house she felt her foot land in something squishy and looked down to see a wad of dough sticking to the bottom of her shoe. "Teddy!" she screamed again. Frantic, no idea where to go, where to look first, she head a small cry from the woods and ran in that direction. Her skirts hiked up Christy ran with all she had in her, jumping logs and skirting trees until she could see someone up ahead. Urging her legs to move faster she raced toward the other person, getting closer with each passing second.  
  
"Mamma!" Teddy screamed when he saw Christy approaching. Reaching out to her he began to struggle with Margaret to get away.  
  
"Stop it you little brat!" she yelled when Teddy kicked her ribs.   
  
He kicked her again and Margaret gasped, dropping him to cradle her side in pain. Though he fell to the ground Teddy got to his feet as quickly as he could and ran towards Christy. Dropping to her knees she opened her arms and held him tightly when he was within her reach.  
  
"Teddy," she cried. "Oh my little Teddy Bear, what did she do to you?" Running her eyes all over the little boy Christy saw the red print on his cheek and the scrapes from his fall to the ground on his arms. "Teddy... Teddy, sweetie look at me," she told him. "Did she hit you?"  
  
Teddy nodded solemnly.  
  
Pressing a kiss to his forehead Christy set Teddy down on a log and turned to face Margaret.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Eighteen  
  
He was riding through the woods on his way to the mission when he heard a child's scream for its mother. Neil's blood chilled when he recognized it as Teddy's. Urging Charlie in the direction of the scream he rode the mount until the forest became to thick for the large horse to get through. Dismounting he tossed the reins over a branch and hurried the rest of the way on foot. His pulse racing Neil ran as fast as he could, his mind imagining the worst.  
  
Skidding to a halt, stopping frozen in his tracks, Neil stared in confusion at the scene playing out before him. Teddy, trapped in Margaret's arms, dropped to the ground after kicking her and ran to Christy, the young teacher holding him tightly, comforting him as only a mother could. When she examined him and asked if he had been hit Neil frowned, realizing that she was asking if Margaret had hit her own son. But when the little boy nodded Neil felt as though a heavyweight was coming over his heart. Something was not right and he needed to know what it was once and for all.  
  
"This is the last straw Margaret," Christy said, confronting his wife before Neil could do anything more than open his mouth to draw in a breath. "I am giving you fair warning, get out of our cove and leave us alone!"  
  
"Or what?" Margaret spat. "You're losing, little girl. Neil loves me, not you." Looking past Christy she saw Neil standing there, confused, watching what was going on. Smirking on the inside she knew how to make sure the little city girl lost once and for all. "You may have been able to steal Mac away from me before he lost his memory but now he's come back to me and that is all there is to it. You had better stop interfering with my family."  
  
"Neil may be your husband by law but you lost his heart a long time ago!"  
  
"Well I've got it back now," she replied. "And I am not going to let you take it away from me again."  
  
"I never took his love for you Margaret, you destroyed it all on your own."  
  
"People make mistakes."  
  
Whirling around Christy realized Neil was standing behind her, listening to the entire conversation. She couldn't see past the blank look in his eyes and the realization that he was about to make a decision stabbed fear into her heart. "Neil, you cannot believe what she says. You do not love her, you haven't for a long time."  
  
"You said yourself that she is my wife," he said after a moment. Moving past her he stood next to Margaret and held out his hand to Teddy. "Come on, Teddy, its time to go home."  
  
"Mamma!" he cried, flinging himself at Christy's legs, holding on as tightly as he could. "Teddy stay wif' Mamma!"  
  
Neil watched with confusion as Christy bent down to pick up Teddy and settled him on her hip. "Why does he call you Mamma?"  
  
"Because she's tricked him," Margaret answered, moving a few steps forward to reach for Teddy.  
  
"He calls her Mamma because that is what she is to him." Stepping between Margaret and Christy David blocked Margaret's reach. "Teddy will be coming back to the mission with us Doctor. When you are ready for some answers you can come and join us there... alone."  
  
"The boy is my son," Neil began, not liking the way the mission folk were interfering with his family, as confusing as it was to him at the moment.  
  
"Yes, he is, but he is also Christy's son." Neil started in shock. "Before you say anything else I suggest you take a look at these papers Doctor," David said, handing Neil a large envelope. "I think you might find them a little enlightening."  
  
Turning his back to Neil David put a gentle hand on Christy's shoulder and guided her away from the group, back to the mission. Watching them walk away Neil saw Teddy watching him for a moment before turning away and burying his head into her shoulder. Something in his heart broke when Neil saw his own son turn away from him.  
  
"You can't let them do that, Mac!" Margaret yelled. "Do something!"  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Like what!?!" she repeated, waving her hands and pacing. "Are you or are you not a man? Go get your son from that little witch who is taking him away."  
  
"Why did you take Teddy to the Spencer's?" Neil asked quietly, turning to face his wife.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"You said that you had taken Teddy to the Spencer's to spend the night. Why?"  
  
"I told you Mac, she had said the children wanted to see him."  
  
"So it wasn't because you had to go to El Pano?" Stopping still she didn't answer him. "Then again why was it that Fairlight said Christy had brought him over the day after I had left for Low Gap so that they could go on a walk?"  
  
Margaret sighed. "Neil, Fairlight has been jealous of me from the moment I returned to the cove with you after we were married. She is best friends with HER, of course she would agree with whatever lie the girl has spun."  
  
Neil was silent for a moment as he listened to Margaret's reasoning. Margaret was his wife; of course he should believe her. Teddy called Miss Huddleston his Mamma; didn't that count for something? Fairlight had been a good friend for longer than he could remember, amnesia or not; why would she lie to him. But Margaret was his wife. A wife was placed above everything else, everyone else. And Margaret was his wife.  
  
Still thinking about everything he remembered the envelope that David had handed to him. Opening the seal he pulled out the paperwork and read it over, his answer lying within the words he read on the papers in his hand. Raising his eyes to Margaret he turned the papers around so she could read them.  
  
"We're divorced."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Nineteen  
  
Sitting on the divan, her back against the armrest, feet on the second cushion, Christy brushed a gentle hand over Teddy's golden curls as she listened to the people speaking around her.  
  
"I was in the barn when I heard you screaming for Teddy. Before I could get outside thought Becca had come running in to find me, begging me to go after you. By the time I found you in the forest Neil was already there with you and Margaret."  
  
Raising her eyes from Teddy Christy smiled at the young preacher. "Thank you David. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there to help me."  
  
"I think you were doing quite well on your own," he teased. "The mother bear always protects her cub."  
  
"Even from the father bear." All eyes turned to the doorway at the sound of the Scottish brogue in the outer doorway. There, bathed in the fading sunlight, stood a man whose eyes were filled with questions. As he moved into the main room he continued speaking. "And I want to know why. No more half answers, no more evading the truth. I want the answers you have all been keeping from me."  
  
Christy met his eyes for a moment but dropped them to look at Teddy hen he stirred in her arms. Looking up at Neil she could feel him draw himself back, his large brown eyes glancing around the room as though he expected something awful to creep out of the shadows. "Te'y stay w'if Mamma?" he whined, his chin beginning to quiver as he raised his eyes to Christy.  
  
She smiled at him. "Yes, Teddy, you're going to stay here with Mamma."  
  
Satisfied that he was safe he laid his head back down on her shoulder, staring at the flames in the fireplace. Bending her head down she laid a gentle kiss on his head and continued to rub his back, unaware of Neil's scrutiny.  
  
"Sit, please, Neil," Alice said, gesturing for him to bring in a chair. "I believe thee may be right. This has gone on long enough. Too many people have been hurt already." Waiting until Neil was sitting down with them Alice began at a proper beginning. "I do not know what thee remembers and what thee does not but I shall begin at the beginning."  
  
Sitting in her chair by the fire Alice told Neil about his marriage to Margaret, the child they had lost, the way she had left him believing she had drowned in the river. She told him of the two previous times she had returned to the cove, three if you counted the last one. As Christy listened she found herself amazed that Alice could keep such a neutral tone to her voice when she knew as well as everyone else how much Margaret had hurt her mother.  
  
Silently taking in everything Alice was telling him Neil listened without saying a word. There were some things in which he could see the spark of truth; especially the way Margaret had resented him going off to help the cove all the time. But there were still questions he wanted answers to.  
  
"What about Teddy? Grantland said that Miss Huddleston is his mother."  
  
"I am," Christy said raising her eyes to meet his. "In every way that matters I am his mother. Teddy is your nephew. His parents were killed in a fire and a friend brought him here to the mission. We were returning to the mission house and found the man and Teddy waiting here for you. For the first few nights Teddy slept here at the mission until we took him back to the cabin to get used to living there. Whenever you leave for a medical call in another part of the cove you would bring Teddy here so he would be safe."  
  
"So you became close?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"That doesn't explain why he calls you Mamma."  
  
"Teddy was a little boy who'd lost the only woman he knew as his mother. But he found a woman who loved him just as deeply in me. I guess that's why he calls me Mamma. To be honest I don't even remember when he started it, I just woke up and he was calling me Mamma."  
  
"Woke up?"  
  
"After the bear attack," Rebecca replied. "That was when he had started calling her Mamma."  
  
"How were you attacked?"  
  
"Margaret had come back and forced me out of your cabin where I was watching Teddy while you were at the O'Teales operating on Wilmer. She sent him outside to play and he wandered over to Lovers Falls on his own. We were all out looking for him when I remembered how much he liked that place. I got there and saw..." Christy's throat closed on her, the memories of what she had seen were still so raw on her heart, the sight still burned into her eyes. Taking a deep breath she forced herself to continue. "I saw that Teddy had bothered a bear that was by the water and the bear was going to attack him. I ran down to the water and put myself between Teddy and the bear. That is how I got injured."  
  
Christy had been brushing her hand over Teddy's hair the entire time, never taking her eyes of the array of golden curls. She never saw the look on Neil's face, the amazement that someone would have done that for his son. But as he watched her with Teddy, his mind playing back every memory he could think of, he saw that it wasn't as shocking as he had originally thought. It was an act of love, the same love he saw from her every day.  
  
"And you?" he asked after a moment. "Where did you and I stand?"  
  
For a moment it seemed as though Christy hadn't heard him, her eyes never leaving Teddy. But she lifted one of her ands to her neck and pulled a thin chain out from under her shirt. There, dangling from the end, was a ring Neil remembered from his childhood. He had seen it resting in his mother's keepsake box when he was a child and remembered her handing it to him as she had lain on her deathbed, struggling for a breath. To this day her words were etched into his memory.  
  
'Love never fails, my boy,' she'd whispered. 'Love with all your heart and nothing is impossible.'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twenty  
  
Peering in through the window she watched the group inside, each one talking in turn as they told Neil the answers he was demanding. Glaring she watched and listened as Christy told him the very thing she hadn't wanted him to know.  
  
"When I first got here you and I fought over the things I was doing or teaching. I had dreams of helping the cove and you thought I was only trying to change it to what I wanted. But as time passed I began to realize, as did you, that we could trust one another implicitly no matter what. I'm still not sure when it happened but at some point we fell in love, though neither of us was ready to admit it. Only about that time Margaret came back for the first time and you withdrew from everyone, hurt and angry. But she left and life went back to normal until the next time she returned, this time as a dancer in a tea house in El Pano."  
  
"After that things began to change. I changed, you changed, life changed. Then Teddy came and it changed all over again. We were always together because of Teddy. At first it was here at the mission, but then I started spending time at your cabin, helping out while you were on medical calls. Teddy and I would go for walks and end up meeting you later in the day as you were coming back from wherever. Then the day of the bear attack came and you stayed by my side for weeks on end, never leaving the mission unless it was absolutely necessary."  
  
"That was when we finally told each other how we felt. We were in love but you were still a legally married man. The day of Rebecca and David's wedding you asked me if I could wait for your friend in Philadelphia to find Margaret and get a divorce. I told you that I would wait as long as it took because I loved you and that was never going to change. And it hasn't, not since you left for Low Gap, not since you were shot in the head, not since you declared that you were going to stand by Margaret. I have never stopped loving you Neil and I never will no matter what you decide after today."  
  
Neil was silent. She had kept her eyes on his the entire time, her voice filled with the same love he could see in her eyes. Those crystal blue orbs were filled with a determined love, the love of a woman who was fighting for the man she loved. It was a look he had never seen in the eyes of the woman that he had thought was his wife.  
  
"I wish I could remember."  
  
"I don't expect you to remember everything, Neil," Christy said to him. "You were shot in the head, I thank God every day that you didn't die. It will come back to you, I promise. But I can't let Margaret lead you away without a fight, Neil. You and I were trying to make a life together and she is trying to destroy it."  
  
Silence fell for a few moments as Neil thought over everything he'd heard. Christy had always intrigued him but when Margaret had returned he had distanced himself from the young teacher to get reacquainted with his wife. Still, he could remember first waking up in the mission, the sight of her kneeling next to him, her head resting on his hand. He remembered the way she had smiled when she realized he was awake, and the pain and sadness that had filled her face when he asked her who she was.  
  
She loved him.  
  
He had no doubt about that; no one could look into her eyes and think any different.   
  
But did he love her?  
  
There he was filled with confusion. He didn't remember loving her but then again he didn't remember loving Margaret either. And what about his dream? There had been a woman with long curly hair that he knew he loved. At the time he assumed it had to have been Margaret. What if he'd been wrong? Fairlight's words came back to him.  
  
'That Margaret you got in yer place ain't the only one what's got long curly hair.'  
  
What if it was Christy and not Margaret after all?  
  
"Thee has been given many things to think about tonight, Neil," Alice said, speaking after being silent the whole while. "I am sure thee needs time to drink it all in."  
  
"Maybe he does, but I don't."  
  
Looking toward the doorway they saw Margaret standing on the threshold, a gun pointed at them.  
  
"It's time to finish what I started," she glared.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twenty One  
  
"Margaret, what are you doing?" Neil asked, getting to his feet to face the woman pointing a gun at them. "Put the gun down."  
  
"Oh I don't think so, Mac. I am sick and tired of her coming in and taking what is not hers for the taking. First she took my mother, then you, and I am not going to stand by and let her take anything else. Instead, I'm going to take it back from her. Stand up," she ordered Christy, waving the gun at her.  
  
Realizing she meant business Christy set Teddy in the corner of the divan, out of Margaret's aim and stood in front of the fire. Watching her Christy felt as though her heart was going to beat its way out of her chest. Who was she going to hurt? Her? Neil? Teddy? The thought sent ice through her veins. No matter who she killed it was going to be bad.  
  
"I didn't want to do it this way, but now I don't have a choice. This wouldn't have had to happen if I hadn't missed the first time."  
  
A sickening realization hit Christy with a sudden force. "It was you," she whispered. "You were the one who shot Neil."  
  
"Of course it was me," she snapped. "I wasn't going to let you have him, he's mine. You came in here with your big blue eyes and bright ideas and hooked him with your little pinky. I didn't stand a chance to get what I needed so long as he had you."  
  
"You don't even love him."  
  
"Love him?" she laughed. "What has loving him got to do with anything? He's a doctor and I'm sick, that's all there is to it. But that doesn't matter anymore. I'm dying, and I am not going to leave this precious little cove until I can take the one thing you want more than anything else."  
  
Terrified Christy took Neil's hand in her own and squeezed it tightly. "Margaret, please, don't do this. If you kill Neil you'll be killing everyone in this cove. You can't do this!"  
  
Margaret sneered. "Who said I was going to kill Neil?"  
  
Suddenly Neil pushed himself in front of Christy, placing himself between the gun and the woman holding his hand. "Margaret, you've got no right to kill Christy. If you want medical attention I'll give it to you but leave her alone."  
  
Margaret shook her head. "Don't be stupid Neil. You know as well as I do that there isn't anything that is going to save my life now. And what good would killing her be? I want her to lose the one thing she cares about more than anything else in the world. I want her to suffer."  
  
Getting a firm grip on the butt of her pistol Margaret sneered at the two people standing in front of her and raised her arm, moving it across the room until it stopped, pointing the gun at the one thing, the one person, Christy and Neil treasured more than their own lives. Squeezing the trigger the sound echoed in the room as she fired the gun.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twenty Two  
  
"NO!!"  
  
Several screams rang out at once when Margaret took aim. Her feet moving before she even registered what she was doing anything Christy lunged forward but was pulled back by Neil. Eyes wide with terror she watched as he lunged ahead, pushing her back even as he scrambled to get to Teddy, the little boy sleeping innocently on the divan. Grabbing him Neil twisted so his back was to Margaret and fell onto the divan, lying unmoving, with a startled and scared Teddy trapped in his limp arms.  
  
"Neil!" Christy screamed as she rushed forward to get to the fallen man while David moved to grab the gun away from Margaret.  
  
Startled out of his sleep, scared by all the screaming and loud noises, Teddy scrunched up his face and began to wail, reaching for his Mamma and not knowing why she wasn't picking him up. Allowing Rebecca to pick him up he watched from a safe distance as his Pappa was rolled over, a large red stain on his shirt.  
  
"Neil!" Christy cried, her hands automatically pressing on the wound the way he had shown her to stop the bleeding. "Miss Alice!"  
  
"David, give me the gun," she commanded. "Go, take Prince and find Dan Scott. Hurry!"  
  
Handing the gun to Alice David ran from the mission house to the barn, saddling Prince in record time. Gun in hand Alice opened it and removed the bullets, placing the gun on the mantle and the bullets in her pocket.   
  
"Rebecca, thee must take Teddy upstairs, I do not want him down here for any reason."  
  
"Yes, Miss Alice," she said, turning to head go upstairs, away from the terrifying scene of the bleeding doctor.  
  
"Christy," Alice said softly,. "Clear the table and wash it so that we may operate. I fear I will need thy help if Dan Scott cannot be found." Pulling Christy away from Neil she moved Christy toward the dining room table to do as she was told. "Go on," she said firmly.  
  
While Christy disappeared into the kitchen to get some water boiling to clean the table Alice turned to face Margaret. "Would that I had never born thee my life would have been a much more peaceful place," Alice said, voicing the thought that had been in her heart for longer than she had realized. "My God have mercy on thy soul, Margaret... for no one else shall."  
  
Turning away Alice left her daughter alone, letting the woman leave if she wished. She was through trying to help her. Pressing a clothe over Neil's wound Alice tried to stop the blood, clean as much of it off as she could so as to examine the wound. Unbuttoning his shirt Alice peeled it away and saw that the bullet had pierced the inside of his shoulder, close to the chest but it was only his shoulder. Frowning she examined him further and found that his head had hit the wooden arm of the divan, effectively knocking him out. Glad that he was no longer in pain Alice knew they had to get the bullet removed and stitched up as soon as possible.  
  
"The table is done, Miss Alice," Christy said, her voice as shaky as her hands as she entered the room. "Will he be okay? Miss Alice please tell me, will he be okay?"  
  
"We need to operate, Christy. Can thee help me move him onto the table?"  
  
Working together the two women struggled and strained to get Neil from the divan to the table, the unconscious man of no help in any way. Huffing from the exertion Alice told Christy to go out and get Neil's medical saddlebags from Charlie and to sterilize the equipment that was within. Running out to Charlie Christy did as she was told, dropping the metal equipment into the already boiling water. Letting it sterilize for a moment she washed her hands in a lye solution and began to remove the hot metal surgical utensils from the water, laying them out on a clean board as she had seen Neil do on many different occasions. When she was done she moved back out to the dining room to see that Alice had removed Neil's shirt and cleansed the area around his shoulder as best she could.  
  
"Set the tray here," she instructed, pointing to the makeshift table she had formed next to her. "Christy, thee must be strong," she counseled.   
  
"I will," Christy replied with a false confidence. "Just save him, Miss Alice."  
  
Nodding Alice reached for a scalpel and made a slit at the bullet holes edge before setting the knife back down and reaching for the forceps while Christy wiped away the blood that had pooled as a result of the small slice. Peering into the small hole Alice searched for the bullet with her eyes before trying to find it with the forceps. After several tense moments she closed her eye with a small sigh of relief when she felt the bullet. Gripping it tightly she pulled it up and out of Neil's shoulder, setting both the forceps and bullet back onto the tray.  
  
"We must cleanse the wound and then I can stitch it closed," Alice said. "Thankfully he is unconscious so he will feel none of the pain."  
  
Nodding in silent reply Christy handed Alice what she asked for, her eyes returning to Neil's closed face time and time again.  
  
'Dear Lord,' she prayed. 'Please...'  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twenty Three  
  
The first thing he was aware of was the pain. It throbbed in his shoulder, each pulse sending a fresh wave of pain until he couldn't stop the moan that escaped from his lips.  
  
"It's okay," a voice called to him from somewhere. "You'll be okay."  
  
Someone held his head in their hands, tilting it up so he could drink from the glass they pressed to his lips. The liquid slid past his lips and down his throat with ease, the bitter taste barely noticed at all. As they laid his head back down onto the pillow he opened his eyes into slits and saw a beautiful woman leaning over him, her hands soft and gentle, her smile kind. Leaning closer she pressed her lips to his forehead and whispered to him.  
  
"Go back to sleep my love."  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on the edge of the bed she brushed a stray curl from his forehead, watching him slip back to sleep, away from the pain. Sighing she watched him for another moment before heading back downstairs.   
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Sleeping," Christy replied. "He was in pain so I gave him some aspirin powder in water."  
  
Dan Scott nodded. "Good, it will help him sleep in peace for a while longer." Together they headed into the main room to join the rest of the small group that had gathered there.  
  
"She shot th'doc," Bob said to the group. "She needs ta be punish'd."  
  
"There is no arguing that, Mr. Allen. But the law must be the one to do so," Alice replied from her seat by the fire.  
  
Back and forth the argument had swung all morning. A few hours ago the men of the cove had come together to discuss what had happened, some wanting to take the law into their own hand, others saying to leave it up to the judge when he came through El Pano in three months. Christy listened to them silently, never speaking what was on her mind. Alice had met her eyes on a few occasions, questioning her silence, but Christy had simply shook her head, wishing to remain silent until she herself had made up her mind.  
  
Her head and her heart were at war over this debate. One side wanted to punish Margaret for what she had done, the other side knowing it was best to leave it to the law. Part of her hated the woman for what she had done to Neil and Teddy but the other realized she was a dying woman who had nothing left to cling to.  
  
"Uncle Bogg... yer the law in these parts. What'ya gots ta say on th'matter?"  
  
Lifting her head Christy looked over to the older man standing just as quietly in the corner of the room. He'd been listening to everyone argue the point back and forth just as she had and she wondered what he was thinking. Bogg was a man of the cove, was he going to keep that mentality or was he going to abide by what the laws truly said on the matter?  
  
Quiet for a moment Bogg looked over to meet Christy's eyes. "She dun shot at the Doc, that gots ta be punished. But she's a gal folk that dun left th'cove a long times ago." Bogg paused for a moment to let that sink in. "Miss Christy, she dun the most ta you an' Teddy and the Doc. What ya gots ta say 'bout that?"  
  
All eyes turned to Christy.  
  
Looking away for a moment she found herself looking out the window to the barn where Margaret was being held, Jeb Spencer standing guard at the door. "She's dying," Christy said after a moment. Bringing her gaze back to the men in to mission house she continued, "And she's desperate. God tells us to love our enemies, to turn the other cheek. I cannot in good conscience tell you to do her harm for what she has done."  
  
Bogg nodded. "Then we'll do as ya ask't. Jeb and Bob will take her to El Pano ta wait fer the judge, she can stay in the prison thar till he comes."  
  
Nodding her head Christy slipped from the mission house to stand n the porch. Taking a deep breath, unsure of why it seemed so suddenly important, she left the porch and headed toward the barn. Nodding to Jeb she stepped into the barn and looked around for Margaret. Not seeing her at first she wondered if the woman had escaped when she heard a racking cough coming from the second level of the barn. Raising her eyes Christy saw her sitting on the edge of the second level, her feet hanging over the edge.  
  
"What do you want?" she rasped when she had caught her breath.  
  
"I want to know why you would try to kill Neil. Why was it so important to you to make me suffer?"  
  
"Because you took everything that I ever had."  
  
"I never took them, Margaret."  
  
"Yes you did," she accused. "You took Mother with you love of God and you took Neil's heart just by being here. You even took the cove. They never accepted me the way they did you."  
  
"I had to work to gain the acceptance of the cove Margaret," Christy replied. "They didn't accept me at first either. I was an outsider."  
  
"Please," she snorted in disgust. "I'd lived here for three years before I'd had enough."  
  
"Margaret..."  
  
"Get out," she spat. "You're making me sick with all your sweetness and love."  
  
Sad for the woman who'd lost her hope Christy nodded and turned to walk out of the barn. Before she could take a step she heard a strange sound, like the snapping of a branch. Frowning, curious as to what could have broken, she turned around to look behind her. Seeing the sight that was waiting for her Christy stumbled away, backing up as fast as her feet could carry her, her scream filling the air.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Chapter Twenty Four  
  
Jumping in her skin when she heard the scream Alice got to her feet and hurried to the door, a step ahead of the other men in the room. Each one hurrying they group ran outside in time to see Jeb disappear into the barn. Hurrying over to the large building Alice entered it to see Jeb holding Christy in his arms, turning her head away from the sight that froze her in place.  
  
There, hanging by a rope, was Margaret, her neck broken from force of the noose around it.  
  
"Lordy," Rob whispered when he saw the woman hanging from the rope. "She dun kilt herself."  
  
Ignoring the hushed whisper Alice took Christy from Jeb's arms and together they left the barn, leaving the men to bring her daughter down to the ground. As they were crossing the yard David met them, running from the schoolhouse. "I heard a scream, what's happened?"  
  
"Margaret has killed herself," Alice replied.  
  
"Alice, I'm so sorry."  
  
Nodding Alice continued to walk away from the barn, heading away until they had reached the school. Sitting on the steps neither woman spoke, just sitting side by side, hands clasped together. After some time they saw several of the men leave the barn only to come back a little while later with a large wooden box. They sat there still, neither one speaking, until all the men came out of the barn, shutting the doors behind them. Most disappeared to head on home to their families but a few of them stayed. While the rest of them milled around the steps to the mission house Bogg ambled over to them, stopping a few feet away to face the women.   
  
"Hit be dun, then," he said. Nodding to them he walked away.  
  
Alice watched the older man walk away for a moment before she felt the tears beginning to sting at her eyes. Trying in vain not to she couldn't stop the tears from streaming forth. Turning her face away Alice felt Christy pull her into an embrace allowing the Quaker to lean on her and weep for the daughter she had lost in so many ways.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Sitting on the edge of the bed Christy looked down at the sleeping man, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. Earlier today they had laid Margaret to rest, burying her in the small graveyard behind the mission. There had been a very small turnout, Uncle Bogg the only one who didn't live at the mission. He had come as he felt it was his duty. Alice had left not long after the ground had been replaced, heading out for a retreat to a place no one really knew about. David and Rebecca had taken Teddy from Christy, telling her they wold take him away for a picnic so she could have some time to herself.  
  
At first she had tried to rest but sleep evaded her so she had gone to the school to try and work but her mind wouldn't focus on the papers before her. So she had come in to sit with Neil, holding his hand and watching him sleep. How long she had been there she didn't know, but the sky outside had begun to turn a rosy red, the sun obviously beginning to set. Why she felt such a strong urge to cry she didn't know. Looking out the window she didn't see the blue eyes staring up at her until he shifted the hand she was holding. Moving her head to look at him Christy saw Neil staring up at her, his blue eyes clear though tinged with a little pain from his shoulder.  
  
"Don't cry Lass, I'll be fine," he said with a gentle squeeze of her hand.  
  
His simple words broke the dam Christy had walled up her tears behind and she closed her eyes, tears slipping out from between her lashes. Her chest aching from her so long suppressed tears Christy slid off the chair to kneel next to the bed, her head resting on Neil's chest as she let her tears fall.  
  
Raising his hand to her head Neil gently brushed her hair back away from her face, watching with a solemn stare as she wept. "I'm so sorry, Lass," he whispered after a few moments. "The nightmare I must have put you through."  
  
Trying to pull herself together Christy wiped at her face, brushing away the tears as quickly as they fell. Lifting her head to see him she met his blue eyes with her own and saw the recognition and the love within them. "Neil," she breathed.  
  
"Aye," he smiled. "I've missed you."  
  
"You remember?" He nodded. Tears sprang anew from her eyes but fell upon smiling lips. "Neil!"  
  
Reaching up she kissed his cheek, laughing with delight that the man she loved had finally returned to her.  
  
The End  
  
Stay Tuned for the Next Chapter in the Love Trilogy...  
  
"A Daughter's Love" 


End file.
